What are the key points of the Air Transport IT Insights 2021 report published by SITA?
Sergio Colella - This report shows that Covid is playing a role in accelerating digitalisation. We see this in our everyday lives, and inevitably in the air transport sector. For nearly ten years, we have been interviewing information systems directors and technology directors from airlines and airports in over 40 countries to get a global view of their investment trends. The first piece of good news is that a large majority of airlines (84%) and airports...
What are the key points of the Air Transport IT Insights 2021 report published by SITA?
Sergio Colella - This report shows that Covid is playing a role in accelerating digitalisation. We see this in our everyday lives, and inevitably in the air transport sector. For nearly ten years, we have been interviewing information systems directors and technology directors from airlines and airports in over 40 countries to get a global view of their investment trends. The first piece of good news is that a large majority of airlines (84%) and airports (81%) are planning to spend as much or more in 2022 compared with 2021. Three trends emerge from these investments: theautomation passenger handling, coverage of all verification processes linked to the healthand the reduced CO2 footprint. This trend is particularly strong in Europe. When it comes to automating passenger processing, three quarters of airlines and airports are planning to invest in biometric identity management solutions.
Is this need for investment compatible with the economic situation of the airline industry, which has been weakened by two years of crisis?
Sergio Colella - The losses were indeed abysmal in 2020 and 2021 for the aviation sector. IATA estimates that when you add up all the losses incurred by airlines and airports worldwide, you come to around 200 billion dollars in two years. This is unprecedented. Nevertheless, these investments should be seen as catalysts for economies of scale, a smoother passenger experience and a reduction in low added-value tasks. All the health checks and vaccination certificates have reduced the actual capacity of airports to process passengers by between 35 and 40%. As a result, it's as if airports have shrunk. Automation makes things run more smoothly, avoiding long queues and a bad experience. On the whole, despite the difficulties, our customers are redirecting their investments towards digitisation. It's a way of a way out of the crisisThe aim is to ensure that the passenger experience remains a pleasant one.
Is there still capacity for environmental investment?
Sergio Colella - This is a particularly important issue in Europe. At COP 26, IATA set a very strong objective: byhorizon 2050air transport must be neutral in terms of carbon footprint. There is a long way to go. Air transport accounts for between 2 and 3 % of CO2 consumption worldwide. What we don't know is that this consumption per passenger kilometre has halved in 30 years. The problem is that, at the same time, passenger numbers have exploded... So there is now a an ambitious plan for investment in sustainable development. Our study bears this out: airlines have made this a priority.
How can we take concrete action?
Sergio Colella - Reducing the carbon footprint in the aviation sector is based on three axes main objectives. The first is to fly increasingly modern aircraft. From one generation to the next, aircraft are reducing their fuel consumption, as shown by the latest versions of the Airbus A350 and Boeing 787, which have significantly lower intrinsic fuel consumption. It is estimated that a third of the CO2 savings by 2050 will come from these improvements. The second area is the use of sustainable fuel (Sustainable Aviation Fuel, SAF), which will cut CO2 emissions by around a third by 2050. There's also one element that we don't talk about enough, and on which we can have a very rapid impact, and that's improving air traffic management and optimising aircraft routes. If we optimise taxi timeBy taking into account the time spent on the tarmac, the ascent and descent phases, we can reduce emissions by 10%. SITA is investing heavily in this area, and in fact we have bought a brilliant French start-up called Safety Line5% of paraffin is consumed in taxiing phases on the runway. An aircraft is designed to fly at altitude, not to taxi on the tarmac. On a short-haul flight, for example, two-thirds of consumption is linked to taxi time and the climb and descent phases.
the resumption of business traffic will take much longer
Could the reduction in CO2 emissions also be based on a sustainable reduction in business travel, for environmental reasons or as a result of the "visio effect"?
Sergio Colella - The data show that as soon as the constraints associated with the pandemic are lifted a little the leisure traffic leaves with impressive elasticity. The same cannot be said for business trafficI think it will take much longer for business traffic to recover to pre-Covid levels. I think that it will take much longer for business traffic to recover to pre-Covid levels, especially as companies are seeing the benefits of optimising these costs. The airline industry must be prepared to accept that once the crisis is over, the travel profile will be structurally different.. It will probably be more heterogeneous, with more point-to-point routes. The market players who survive will not be the biggest, but those who adapt best. L'intermodality will also play a greater role. We'll have to be intelligent if we are to connect effectively with rail, cruise lines, buses and even tomorrow's air transport.urban air mobility for the last kilometre.
Covid 19 will have a lasting impact on health control procedures
As a frequent traveller, how would you describe the passenger experience in 2022?
Sergio Colella - What is striking in my personal experience is to see empty airportsor at least with a level of use limited to 60% overall. We still see a lot of manual checks on the vaccination pass. In the same way that the 11 September attacks had a major impact on security control procedures, Covid 19 will have a lasting impact on health control procedures, because there will be other problematic situations, less serious I hope. This is why SITA is investing in this area, with the desire for health certificates to be just a click away. We can - and must - ensure that the passenger experience remains fluid and pleasant. It's essential to give passengers control, especially for the new generations who are increasingly connected. The smartphone has to be the remote control for the trip, centralising all the information..
Could we move towards a "trusted travellers" type programme, with which very frequent business travellers agree to share a lot of personal information in order to significantly speed up airport checks?
Sergio Colella - Thanks to European legislation, and in particular the RGPD, everything is extremely regulated when it comes to the protection of personal data. So frequent flyers don't have to give up their private data. We have set up a programme between Star Alliance, NEC and SITA enabling these frequent flyers to pass all the checks biometric. In the same way that people nowadays often agree to unlock their smartphone biometrically, or to carry out a banking transaction.
beyond air transport, SITA wants to open up to intermodality with solutions that can be adapted to other sectors of activity
To what extent has the crisis changed SITA's positioning and priorities? Is the company the same as it was two years ago?
Sergio Colella - No, we're not the same. We are dedicated to air transport, so we have suffered alongside our customers. The real change has been the acceleration of needs. Trends that we could see emerging have been accelerated, and we are therefore speeding up our investments. Our financial health has held up well despite the crisis, and sustainable development issues have become crucial. Moreover, SITA has become carbon neutral by 2021. What's more, beyond air transport, SITA wants to open up to intermodality with solutions that can be adapted to other sectors of activity, for non-air transport, for example border control in the maritime or rail sectors. We install kiosks at border crossings on the Eurostar between Paris and London. We are still dedicated to air transport, but we do not rule out intermodality with a broader vision of transport.
What are SITA's good resolutions for 2022?
Sergio Colella - To provide the best possible service to our customers, to whom we belong. It's about helping the sector to recover effectively from this crisis. We believe that 2022 will be the year we emerge from this crisis, so we need to roll up our sleeves and get everything up and running again. It will also involvehelping our customers do more with less These include reducing operating costs, optimising the use of assets and operating in a more economically efficient way. Finally, our priority will also be to bring innovations that change the experience of our customers and passengers. We are increasingly relevant because we invest in the right technologies, which have a real impact on the passenger experience, CO2 consumption, and the quality of the connections and telecommunications we provide to our customers. All in all, SITA will continue to be a leader in its field. driving innovation.
