Introduction
Day by days, hour by hours or even minute by minutes, the world witnesses people are moving or travelling from one place to another. Types of transportation could be grouped by air, land or by water. People are moving for working, travelling, worshipping and other variety of reasons that could lead objectives of the transportation.
According to Tourism Teacher, 2023, there are 50 types of transportation that are combined traditional and modern. Traditional of the transportation types such as tuk-tuk, gondola, canoe, and parachute are more applicable for tourism activities. Modern types of transportation meanwhile such as train, car and motorcycle are more useable for people’s daily routines.
In this article nevertheless, we are going to discuss some of trending technologies on air transportation, or well-known as aviation. What crosses your mind just now when you have read the word ‘’aviation’’? Is it airplane, helicopter, flying car or even just air space?
Aviation means activity of flying aircraft, or of designing, producing, and keeping them in good condition (Cambridge Dictionary, n.d.). Meanwhile, according to Wikipedia, n.d., aviation is whatever the
activities surrounding the aircraft industry that includes fixed-wing and rotary-wing types, morphable wings, wing-less lifting bodies, as well as lighter-than-air craft such as hot air balloons and airships.
Based on the findings above, we could have the same understanding about the meaning of the word ‘’aviation’’. Have you ever wondering what are trending technologies that are applying in aviation industries? So, this article is all about.
DISCLAIMER:
This document has been prepared for internal circulation within MTDC. No part of this report should be reproduced, distributed or communicated to any third party without Data Insights Unit’s consent.
Trending Technologies in Aviation Industries
According to Martin Banks (2022), there are seven rising technology trends in aviation industries explained below:
- Smart airports
More businesses are leveraging smart technologies for improving their day-to-day operations. Air travel demand has significantly been growing, witnessing millions of people travelling through airports worldwide. The latest digital technology is established to manage the increasing better and rationalising operations.Many airports are in the process of modernising operations by establishing more automated kiosks to speed up the passenger check-in process. Deloitte has suggested that the Internet of Things (IoT) could transform the passenger experience and thus enables airports to increase revenue. It is only becoming a real if the majority of airports around the world have been proven as smart airports.
- Aircraft Sustainability
The climate crisis is becoming a major concern for companies, consumers, and governments. Sustainability is a vital focus for any operation in the aviation industry. The International Air Transport Association (IATA) has committed to reaching net-zero emissions by 2050 through the following initiatives- Using sustainable aviation fuel made from renewable biomass;
- Offsetting carbon emissions; and
- Employing carbon capture technologies, among others.
Sustainability is the current aim of many airports through the implementation of paperless processes as well as the usage of natural lighting, for instances.
- Biometrics
The technology transforms the biometric data into encrypted code. Every time the passenger checks in for a flight at an airport, the technology scans their irises and face and matches it to their unique encrypted code. The aviation industry and passengers will greatly benefit from this type of biometric technology. - Blockchain
Most industries are investing in or experimenting with blockchain technology, and so those in aviation industries, especially in aircraft manufacturing. Boeing recently partnered with Honeywell to use the company’s blockchain technology-powered platform called GoDirect. Boeing can track and sell around USD1 billion worth of extra plane parts with this platform. This is a major step for the industry, which typically uses paper certificates to conduct sales of individual aircraft parts. - Machine Learning
Machine learning is able to predict outcomes and many industries are applying it into operation including marketing, retail, manufacturing and construction. For example, the Seattle-Tacoma Airport (SEA) uses the computer vision technology to monitor ground operations activities in and around a parked aircraft. There will be more usages of machine learning as companies are investing in this evolving technology.
- In-flight connectivity
Consumers nowadays are increasingly depending on handheld devices especially smartphones, and tablets, in their daily routines. As such, there are more expectations for airline to equip their passengers with facilities pertaining to accessible of the handhold devices, including a decent internet connection, in-flight entertainment systems, interactive maps, and USB charging stations. This development makes the usual seat-back entertainment systems slowly phase out.
- Autonomous robots
Another technology trending that is expected to grow is autonomous vehicles. It is evolving in various industries, including logistics and shipping. Application of autonomous delivery robots is on experiment stage by Amazon, Uber Eats, Domino’s, and FedEx especially for food delivery.
There are many ways that autonomous robots could positively impact aviation. Passengers waiting for their flight could place a contactless order through their smartphone. In example, an autonomous luggage cart in Dallas Fort Worth International Airport handles 450 bags per hour, while in Fagernes Airport, an automated snow removal machine cleared hundreds of thousands of square feet of snow in an hour, easing people’s workloads and creating safer plane conditions.
All these trending technologies will impact the future of aviation industry moving forward. As more technologies emerge, it is only a matter of time until airports and airlines adopting themselves respectively to improve their operations and enhance the passenger experience.
Aviation Industry in Malaysia.
On 1 March 2016, the government has established the Malaysian Aviation Commission (MAVCOM) under the Malaysian Aviation Commission Act 2015 (Act 771). MAVCOM is responsible for regulation of economic and commercial within the civil aviation industry. It includes the issuance of Air Services Licences (ASL) for timetabled commercial flights and Air Service Permits (ASP) for non-scheduled services.
Other responsibilities of the commission include the following:
- regulating economic matters pertaining to civil aviation industry;
- providing mechanisms for protection of consumers in the civil aviation industry;
- provide mechanisms for dispute resolutions among aviation players if any;
- administering and managing air traffic rights;
- monitoring slot allocation for airlines or other aircraft operators; and
- administering and managing routes under public service obligations, including the provision of advice to the Ministry of Transport pertaining to policies for public service obligations, among others. (MAVCOM 2023)
According to 14th edition of MAVCOM bi-annual Industry Report released on 19 June 2023, there was a strong growth of 123.6 percent year-to-year in passenger traffic following the full reopening borders domestically and internationally. There were 19.4 million passengers recorded during the first quarter of 2023. The first quarter of 2023 however has seen the declining of cargo air transportation due to several factors in consequence of the economic shutdown due to pandemic. Nevertheless, air cargo traffic is forecasted to slightly grow between 3 percent to 4.8 percent year-to- year in 2023.
Reflecting a vibrant recovery in the aviation industry, Malaysia’s air connectivity ranking has been improved to 5th the best among ASEAN countries in 2022. This improvement has been contributed from the higher deployment of international travelling following the lifting border restriction from April 2022 onwards. This makes Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) maintains its position as the fourth-most connected airport among ASEAN countries. It enabled the industry’s players to stabilise their revenue respectively. (MAVCOM, 2023)
Recent development shows that Malaysia has a great potential for being a leader on aviation industry in South East Asia (ASEAN) country. This is subsequent from the introduction of the New Industrial Master Plan 2030, which is setting up a long-term aviation development plan in Malaysia. (BERNAMA.com, 2023)
References
BERNAMA.com (2023, October 10), Malaysia a Key Leader in Development of Southeast Asia’s Aviation Industry, https://www.bernama.com/en/news.php?id=2233371
Cambridge Dictionary (n.d.), Meaning of Aviation in English, https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/aviation
Malaysian Aviation Commission (MAVCOM) (2023), Introductions, https://www.mavcom.my/en/industry/
Malaysian Aviation Commission (MAVCOM) (2023, June 19), Revival of Malaysia’s Aviation Industry: Air Passenger Traffic Up 123.6% YoY in 1Q23, https://www.mavcom.my/en/2023/06/19/revival-of-malaysias-aviation-industry-air-passenger-traffic-up-123-6-yoy-in-1q23/#:~:text=Reflecting%20a%20vibrant %20recovery%20in,score%20of%2061.0%20in%202022.
Martin Banks (August 12, 2022) Seven Rising Technology Trends in the Aviation Industry https://techaeris.com/2022/08/12/seven-rising-technology-trends-in-the-aviation-industry/#google_vignette
Tourism Teacher (2023, January 9), 50 Types of Transport From Around the World,
https://tourismteacher.com/types-of-transport/
Wikipedia (n.d.), Aviation, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aviation#:~:text=Aviation%20is%20the%20activities%20surrounding%20
mechanical%20flight%20and,such%20as%20hot%20air%20balloons%20and%20airships%20.
DISCLAIMER: This document has been prepared for internal circulation within MTDC. No part of this report should be reproduced, distributed or communicated to any third party without the Research Department’s consent.
