The majority of airline and airport executives surveyed (52%) said their organizations are currently experiencing more disruption than in 2019, compared with a third reporting less, according to a new study from Amadeus called “Better together: Rethinking how to manage disruption in aviation.” With more industry leaders expecting disruption to remain elevated, said the report, taking action to mitigate the impact has become a top priority.
Key insights from the study include:
- 64% of airlines are investing in new technology to improve their response to disruption.
- The top reason for airline investment was to “improve our public image” at 70%, well ahead of “to reduce costs” at 34%.
- Airlines pointed to the need for “closer integration of our own operational systems to gain a holistic view of disruption” as the top capability to improve their response.
- Airport leaders reported a “lack of common technology that brings stakeholders together” as their top challenge when responding to disruption (50%).
- A third of airport leaders pointed to “last minute provision of information from airlines” as a persistent challenge.
- All airports surveyed confirmed they are planning to invest in technology at their operational control centers to better manage disruption. A quarter plan to do so in the next 12 months.
Holger Mattig, senior vice president, product management, Amadeus airport and airline operations, said disruption is a hugely complex problem that requires airlines, airports, ground handlers and others to work collaboratively. Unfortunately, he said, “there are still too many information silos in aviation,” which impacts the overall response and ultimately passengers.
However, Mattig said, he does sense a real determination across the industry “to put historic commercial tensions to one side and deliver a better, more joined-up and traveler-centric approach to disruption that’s empowered by shared technology.”
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