Adoption of Industry 4.0 technologies in airports -- A systematic literature review
It addresses the problem of digitalization in airports for stakeholders like operators and passengers, but it is incremental as it reviews existing literature without new empirical results.
This paper conducted a systematic literature review of 102 articles to analyze the adoption of Industry 4.0 technologies in airports, finding that implementation is slowly gaining traction and remains relevant for digital transformation.
Airports have been constantly evolving and adopting digital technologies to improve operational efficiency, enhance passenger experience, generate ancillary revenues and boost capacity from existing infrastructure. The COVID-19 pandemic has also challenged airports and aviation stakeholders alike to adapt and manage new operational challenges such as facilitating a contactless travel experience and ensuring business continuity. Digitalisation using Industry 4.0 technologies offers opportunities for airports to address short-term challenges associated with the COVID-19 pandemic while also preparing for future long-term challenges that ensue the crisis. Through a systematic literature review of 102 relevant articles, we discuss the current state of adoption of Industry 4.0 technologies in airports, the associated challenges as well as future research directions. The results of this review suggest that the implementation of Industry 4.0 technologies is slowly gaining traction within the airport environment, and shall continue to remain relevant in the digital transformation journeys in developing future airports.