About the initiative

The research project coordinated by the Airport Think Tank of ENAC Alumni (see below) has involved about 20 thought aviation leaders from diverse backgrounds, expertise and affiliations. The panel discussed various prospective topics to explore and forecast the long-term future of the airport industry: the world in 2040 and 2070, airport business models and funding mechanisms, relations between the stakeholders, information technologies, security and cybersecurity, aviation safety, airside and airspace issues, terminals and passenger experience, mobility and communities, and sustainability. Each time, the project considered the future trends and potential disruptive changes, the emerging transformational innovations, their impact on practice and challenges for air transportation, and the needs in research, education and policies for anticipating and facilitating these changes.

The Technical Committee and the Infrastructure Workgroup of The French-Speaking Airports (UAF&FA) are both involved with the Task Force "The Future of Airports". Other participating organizations include the AV070 Aircraft/Airport Compatibility committee of the Transportation Research Board (TRB) in the United States, and ENAC (National University of Civil Aviation, France).

Publications

Phase 1 of the project started in March 2019 and ended in April 2020 with the release of the white papers and posters. These documents are now available on the website of ENAC Alumni (see link below).

About ENAC Alumni

ENAC Alumni is the alumni association of the National University of Civil Aviation in France. The Airport Think Tank brings together aviation leaders to discuss various issues in relation with airports and their community – from the curbside to the airspace – through initiatives including roundtables and task forces.