Flights of fancy

With global airline capacity now reaching pre-pandemic levels, airports are looking for creative ways to attract passengers and stay ahead of their competition.

We look at some of the best recent innovations in design, processing and retailing from across the world.

Design
With passenger expectations of comfort and aesthetics within airports higher than ever before, some airport terminals have taken bold design decisions.

Indoor gardens are a feature we are seeing more and more. Hamad International Airport recently opened an extension to their terminal called The Orchard (seen above) which features a tropical garden that offers a refreshing environment in the heart of a brand-new retail area. Another is Bangalore International Airport's new "Garden Terminal" which has been designed with sustainability at its heart, making use of engineered bamboo to give a natural feel in harmony with the green landscapes within the terminal.

Changi Airport has always been one of the biggest innovators in terms of design with Jewel Changi featuring a nature walk and a one-of-a-kind waterfall designed to imbue calmness and relaxation and an escape after the landside processes.

Processing
A satisfied passenger is more likely to spend more money than a dissatisfied one, and `seamless travel’ (current buzzwords within the airport industry) is an aspiration to achieve a pleasant, disruption free, relaxing passenger journey.

To achieve this, airports have been investing heavily in self-service technology, predictive analysis, AI and real-time data to understand how best to manage the process flows in an attempt to deploy a seamless passenger experience.

Airports in the Gulf have been innovating their passenger processing operations to cater for the influx of passengers for the FIFA World Cup 2022 in Qatar this week. Hamad International Airport has deployed a technology called the “Digital Twin”, which creates a digital twin of the airport and can capture everything that is happening at the airport to help make more informed decisions. They have also started using biometric facial recognition at check-in, immigration processes, boarding and gate control to create a smooth flow of passengers. This enhances the overall travel experience by reducing the distances travelled inside the airport and ensuring ease of access and roaming inside the airport, especially during the World Cup as tens of thousands of passengers will be received daily.

Leonardo Da Vinci Airport has launched an Innovation Hub, which focuses on the development of innovative solutions for airports by hosting startups from around Italy and the rest of the world. The solutions will be based on data-driven systems, process automation, energy efficiency, the passenger digital experience; and omnichannel commerce.

Retailing
Retailers in airports are increasingly pushing the boundaries of innovation from luxury pop-ups to brand activations involving immersive story telling.

GateZero is a new concept store which was launched by Highsnobiety in partnership with Zurich airport which offers a curated selection of products and travel exclusive releases. Following the success of this pop-up store, Highsnobiety has gone into partnership with Gebr Heinemman to open permanent stores at airports.

In the USA, travel retailer Hudson has revealed a combination of F&B and retail, with their latest concept Decanted and Hudson Nonstop at DFW. This space will feature Hudson’s wine bar and a travel essentials store together in one space.

Ghost kitchens came into prominence during the pandemic. But as we emerge from the pandemic, ghost kitchens are making their mark on airports. Likewise Reef, in its first venture into airports, has opened its virtual food court at Raleigh-Durham Airport. The foodhall serves food from nine brands. Passengers can order food for pickup on their phones or at order kiosks in the airport terminal and collect the order from lockers at the virtual food hall's storefront. In the future, Reef intends to also offer delivery to gates.

After a difficult few years airports are bouncing back and to survive and thrive in the future, innovation is essential. Utilising new technology and having a deep understanding of customer motivations will enable airports to create designs, processes and a retail environment which will drive passenger experience and increase commercial revenues.

Mohamed Hisham