Connected Airports

Abdullah M. Alowini

Technology Strategy & Architecture VP stc

Over the past two decades, the aviation industry in the Kingdom has grown remarkably. Followed by a growth acceleration over the past five years, the Kingdom’s airports in 2019 -pre Covid Pandemic- accommodated more than 103 million passengers in its 28 airports. The number of passengers is expected to grow to reach 195 million passengers by 2030, a growth rate of more than 92.8% compared to the year of 2019. To secure the needed capacity, there is an expansion plan to establish 5 new airports and 16 new terminals in the Kingdom by 2030. All these positive indicators, position the aviation market in the Kingdom as one of the most emerging markets, and there are strong indicators of a continued growth for years to come.
The Smart Airports concept represents a big part of the Kingdom’s civil aviation master plan; it is designed to help airports become more efficient and more profitable. Smart airports concept fully exploits the power of emerging and maturing technologies like 5G, Artificial intelligence, Internet of Things and Big Data. These technologies are built around a single platform that enables high-speed traffic for the entire ecosystem, including the airport, ground services providers and airlines.
Airports around the world started to adapt new technologies powered by 5G in order to increase reliability and savings in operating expenditure. According to the University of Texas, 5G enabled autonomous vehicles with smoother driving cycles can reduce energy use by 10-20% also, 70% decrease in aircraft pushback delays. Moreover, 5G cellular networks allows quicker aircraft turnarounds and real-time data analytics that work seamlessly with connected assets and airport workers. This increase in efficiency can lower turnaround times by 15–25 minutes.
stc is keen to bring to market the most advanced technologies and solutions, to deliver total digital transformation to the Kingdom's airports network in order to keep airports in pace with the steady increase in air traffic. Using its 5G Network capabilities, stc has determined to bring to market the most advanced technologies and solutions such as.

·         AR-assistant for workers.

·         Connected assets and workers to increase real time optimization.

·         Autonomous vehicles to improve operational efficiencies.

·         Reliable and secure network for mission-critical purposes supported with data and video capabilities.

·         Push to talk.

·         Traveler experience overall digitization.

All these solutions are designed in order to take Saudi airports into new horizons.

Saad Alajlan

Vice President and Head of stc Accounts

The course of the past year has reiterated the importance of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 and its tenet to diversify the economy. Two key pillars of this transformation are technology and tourism. While quite separate in their own ways coupling these two pillars will be vital for the economic prosperity of the Kingdom heading towards 2030.
Whether it is corporate tourism, integrated elements of megaprojects, or a focus on entertainment; technology and tourism will propel the long-term aims of the Kingdom.
Additionally, to bridge the gap for the entertainment sector, megaprojects such as NEOM are set to increase collaborative and innovative efforts and idea development from Saudi to the world. This spark of transformative entertainment and culture will likely ensure that Riyadh becomes one of the largest city economies of the world.
As the economy flourishes it will heavily depend on travel and tourism and infrastructure as well as connectivity will be central to this evolution. Airports are essential to funneling the increasing amounts of visitors likely to come to the Kingdom. One key example is King Khalid International Airport that is looking forward to accommodating over 20 million passengers a year. However, technology implementation is critical and an overhaul of its technology and connectivity infrastructure will revolutionize its processes, operations, and services as we step into bold new territory.
Saudi Arabia’s 35 airports are connected to 45 countries directly, allowing transportation for a million of passengers and tons of cargo all over the world. With nearly 80 million passengers passing through the Kingdom every year, three of its airports are recognized as the busiest in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC).
The future is exhilarating to visualize, stc recognizes the need for partnerships on mobile and fixed 5G connectivity in the Kingdom and at its vibrant airports to demonstrate the spirit of collaboration that will fulfill the strategic plans set out in Vision 2030.