The global aviation industry is undergoing a profound digital transformation, reshaping every step of a passenger's journey from booking to baggage claim. This shift, moving from paper tickets to mobile passes and from manual check-ins to biometric gates, is now entering a new, more intelligent phase powered by artificial intelligence and computer vision.
The AI Baggage Revolution: Cutting a $5 Billion Problem
One of the most significant trials is currently happening at Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport (CDG). Here, a new system using computer vision and biometrics is being tested to identify and track checked luggage. Instead of relying solely on printed tags, the technology captures a bag's unique "digital signature" through high-resolution imaging and AI-driven pattern recognition.
Sumesh Patel, SITA President for Asia Pacific, highlighted the potential impact in an interview. If successful, this innovation could sharply reduce the US$5 billion in annual losses the aviation industry suffers from mishandled baggage, a cost largely borne by airlines. The AI system makes it significantly easier to locate bags that go astray, especially at massive transfer hubs.
"For any such technology to be effective, every stakeholder has to step up—airlines, airports, and ground handlers," Patel emphasised. He outlined the requirements: airlines must integrate new baggage platforms, airports must install advanced imaging cameras across conveyor systems, and backend applications must sync to handle massive real-time data. He expects the adoption timeline to be under a decade, much faster than past tech cycles.
Auto-Reflight: Lost Bags That Rebook Themselves
A companion technology already in commercial use is auto-reflight, currently deployed by Lufthansa. This system uses AI to automatically match lost bags to the next logical flight without waiting for human intervention. Patel revealed that Lufthansa now processes around 70% of its missed bags through auto-reflight.
This feature is particularly impactful at major global hubs like London Heathrow, Frankfurt, Dubai, and Doha, where tight connections and high transfer volumes drive most baggage mishandling. Whether Indian carriers adopt it may depend less on domestic volumes and more on their exposure to these international transit hubs. "If a carrier’s major hub adopts the solution, the airline would be keen to participate," Patel noted.
Some airlines are also trialing auto-notification systems that alert passengers the moment a bag is confirmed missing. Qantas's initial rollout sent notifications during flight, unintentionally overwhelming cabin crew with passenger questions. The system now alerts travellers only when they step off the aircraft.
India's System-Wide Digital Leap in Aviation
India is simultaneously executing one of the world's largest aviation digitisation programmes. The country has built the world's largest airport cloud-enabled platform, handling passenger processing across 61 private and government-owned airports. This digital backbone manages everything from conventional check-in and biometric DigiYatra to baggage processing and identity documentation.
This programme is a core part of the Airports Authority of India's (AAI) shift to a unified, cloud-based platform, modernising passenger and baggage processing at its 50 AAI-run airports. More than 3,500 touchpoints are planned, granting smaller airports the same scalable, tech-driven capabilities as larger ones.
Unlike other markets where adoption is fragmented and led by individual airports, India's change is being driven system-wide, aided by AAI's government ownership and the government-backed DigiYatra initiative. Even conventional check-in counters across dozens of airports now run fully on the cloud, enabling uniform upgrades, faster deployment, and real-time data access.
With India as the third-largest domestic aviation market globally, handling 411 million passengers last year and contributing USD 53 billion to GDP, this digital foundation is critical. New airports like Navi Mumbai and Jewar are designed as digital-first terminals, where cloud-enabled operations, biometrics, automated baggage systems, and integrated resource management are foundational. For instance, Navi Mumbai International Airport will feature 22 automated self-bag-drop units from Day One.
Learning from Outages and Evolving Passenger Needs
The industry's growing dependence on digital infrastructure means outages are more costly than ever. From global CrowdStrike-triggered disruptions to local fibre cuts, causes vary widely. Patel stressed the need for redundant systems like 'Local DCS', which act as on-site fallbacks if main airline systems fail—a measure Singapore mandates under its Critical Information Infrastructure framework.
Airlines are adapting processes in response. Following IndiGo's extensive early-December disruptions, the carrier announced more proactive passenger notifications and revised processes to prevent travellers from arriving at airports without clarity on delayed or cancelled flights. "The data is always there; it's about how quickly processes evolve in response," Patel said.
Passenger demographics are also shifting rapidly. SITA's Passenger IT Insights reveal that the fastest-growing traveller cohorts are now first-time or occasional flyers and older travellers, a trend visible across Europe, Asia, and North America. These passengers prioritise clarity, trust, and convenience, driving demand for biometrics, simpler check-ins, and real-time baggage visibility.
Sanjeev K, SITA's VP for Asia Pacific, noted that India and South Asia are witnessing rapid uptake of mobile and digital services, comparable in some ways to China's advanced digital ecosystem. He observed that passengers, even those less familiar with airport processes, adapt quickly when technology is made simple, visual, and intuitive, often through formats similar to short social-media videos.
"Older travellers gain confidence and a sense of accomplishment when they adopt the new technology," he said, adding that support systems are crucial to guide first-time users through processes like DigiYatra or self-bag drops.
Looking ahead, airlines and airports plan to invest USD 8.9 billion and USD 37 billion, respectively, in digital and biometric systems globally. The ultimate goal is a frictionless, self-service journey from curb to boarding, where a passenger checks in once digitally and uses that single identity seamlessly throughout their journey at border control, retail outlets, boarding gates, and baggage retrieval.
