Spotlight On Air Travel: How Technology Tackles 5 Key Infrastructure Challenges

The future may be unpredictable, but one thing seems certain: The air travel and cargo sector will keep booming. More specifically, passenger travel is expected to expand to 8.2 billion air travelers annually by 2037 and the number of cargo freight aircraft is expected to jump 30 percent. If these projections come true, airport designers and developers have their work cut out for them: The top 100 airports in the world don’t have much excess capacity, according to the International Air Transport Association. All but four of those face capacity constraints in the next 10 years, and 45 airports already face issues such as too-short runways or terminals operating at capacity. Designers must also take into account the uncertain effects of climate change and anticipate potential problem areas that could impact airport operations and safety. For example, about 25 of the world’s top 100 busiest airports lie in low-level coastal areas less than 10 meters or 32 feet above sea level. Half of…

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