At Passenger Terminal Expo (PTE) World 2026, companies showcased solutions spanning a broad range of airport applications.
From baggage technology to drone detection to AI-driven ramp automation, there was no shortage of innovation designed to enhance the smooth operation of modern airports.
The event, which took place from 17-19 March, welcomed over 400 exhibitors alongside more than 11,000 senior stakeholders in the aviation sector.
Airside spoke to a selection of companies leveraging new technologies, including artificial intelligence (AI) and automation, to enhance turnarounds and operational efficiency from approach to gate – raising the question of how far airport automation will evolve in the future.
Honeywell
Honeywell is US-based company which develops solutions for challenges across the automation, aviation and energy sectors.
Its NAVITAS™ Tower Software Suite is designed to enable airports to more seamlessly digitise, visualise and automate everyday operations.
This includes orchestrating an aircraft’s final approach, landing, taxi-in for arrivals, turnaround, pushback, taxi-out, line-up and take-off for departures.
The company describes the system – which is made up of several subsystems for different processes – as the airport’s “ground control.” It takes full control of the aircraft from the pilot once it touches down, guiding it to its designated position before handing control back.
This advanced automation is supported by multiple sensors which direct the aircraft, telling it where to stop and mapping out a precise route.
Airside vehicle operators and workers on the ramp are then notified, ensuring that they steer clear of the aircraft’s path.
Moreover, the system includes physical taxiing lights, cybersecurity protections, and integrated tools that gather and share data, such as a countdown as the plane begins descent.
Automating operations
The software has been adopted at airports across the globe, including Heathrow and Gatwick, Munich, Oslo, Charles de Gaulle, JFK, Chicago, Riyadh and Singapore.
Airports can choose whether to install the entire software suite, or specific systems on an individual level.
A spokesperson for Honeywell explained that by using the technology, airports are aiming to automate operations as much as possible. “You are always going to have a human involved to some degree.
“[However], compared to the air traffic control, where there is always a human being visually controlling everything, you don’t need a human to do that on the ground.”
The spokesperson added that automation brings benefits such as labour cost savings and increased operational and energy efficiency. “Downtime is important, so we have people remotely monitoring the system to make sure there are no problems.”
Aviation Solutions
Aviation Solutions is a subsidiary of Schiphol Group in Amsterdam. The company was founded following the commercialisation of innovations originally built for Schiphol, which are now available to airports worldwide.
One of these solutions is Deep Turnaround, a turnaround management platform which leverages computer vision, AI and cameras on the apron to monitor the process in real time, detecting potential delays and problems.
Since the company launched four years ago, Deep Turnaround is now live at 8 airports, including Amsterdam Schiphol, Brisbane, Stuttgart, Cologne Bonn, and Vancouver. Implementations are currently underway at two airports in Milan, as well as Zurich.
The system tracks upwards of 100 different types of events comprising the entire turnaround process. As well as real-time insights which support resource planning, it provides predictive analysis.
For example, after predicting when ground handling is likely to be completed, the system sends a notification to ground handling teams, helping them to meet targets by allowing them to adapt their planning.
This is achieved using an AI computer vision model which turns images into data, which another AI model then combines with flight data to generate predictions.
Root cause analysis
As well as strengthening real-time planning, the technology offers several other advantages for airports.
Raimon Pruim, Technical Solutions Engineer for Deep Turnaround, said: “There are different use cases. You can also use it for post-ops analysis, to see how you can make your turnarounds more efficient in general.
“It enables you to carry out root cause analysis, as we call it, to identify the causal factors that lead to delays.
“Everybody has their default turnaround times – for example, they need to finish in 35 minutes. Based on the data, you can update that to plan more realistically.
“You can also use it to optimise your planning based on data to utilise all the stands you have available more efficiently.”
INFORM (GroundStar)
Founded in 1969 and with headquarters in Aachen, Germany, INFORM uses artificial intelligence to detect issues and automate airport operations.
At the core of this is GroundStar, a software suite for the optimisation of aviation processes, covering ground handling, aircraft engineering, airport operations and hub and turnaround management.
The technology enhances the turnaround management process from the aircraft’s arrival to its departure.
This includes improving workforce planning based on task requirements, as well as streamlining operations such as fuelling, loading and unloading, and de-icing.
GroundStar has been adopted by several airports, including Frankfurt and Heathrow, but INFORM’s main customers are ground handlers and airlines.
“Every delay in turnaround costs a lot of money,” said a spokesperson for the company. “An aircraft is only earning money if it’s in the air, so [GroundStar] is really minimising downtime.
“The important thing is to grab all data from third-party systems. It could be as simple as a weather forecast, or the delay of a machine that delivers connecting passengers.
“As long as you can control [these processes], you don’t need a system. It’s basically to manage exceptions.”
