Airports are investing heavily in new technology: automation, biometrics, AI-driven systems, advanced airside equipment, predictive analytics, the list keeps growing.
However, while technology strategies move quickly, people strategies often lag behind.
New systems are introduced, processes are updated, and expectations change yet, job roles, skills frameworks, and workforce plans remain largely unchanged. Over time, this creates a quiet but growing risk: airports end up operating tomorrow’s infrastructure with yesterday’s workforce model.
In many airports, the impact of technology on roles is gradual rather than dramatic. Tasks are redistributed, responsibilities shift, decision-making moves closer to the frontline. All of these mean that new competencies become essential, even when job titles stay the same.
For example:
According to ACI World, airports globally are accelerating digital transformation to improve efficiency, safety, and passenger experience yet, workforce capability remains one of the most cited constraints to successful adoption (ACI World, Airport Digital Transformation).
Technology doesn’t replace roles overnight, instead, it reshapes them. Often without formal recognition.
Traditional workforce planning tends to focus on job titles and headcount but, as technology evolves, this approach becomes increasingly fragile.
Two people with the same job title may now be performing very different work and two airports with the same operational profile may require very different skill mixes, depending on the technology they deploy.
The World Economic Forum highlights this shift clearly, noting that skills disruption is accelerating and that many roles are being transformed faster than organizations can redefine them (WEF, Future of Jobs Report).
For airports, this means:
Over time, this disconnect increases operational risk and erodes employee confidence.
Planning for future roles isn’t about predicting every job that will exist in five or ten years. It’s about recognizing patterns of change and preparing the workforce to adapt.
McKinsey research shows that organizations that proactively redesign roles and invest in re-skilling are far more resilient during periods of technological and operational disruption (McKinsey, The Skill Shift).
In airport environments, this requires a shift in thinking:
When people strategies keep pace with technology strategies, airports gain flexibility. When they don’t, technology investments struggle to deliver their full value.
One of the most common fears associated with automation is job loss. In practice, the greater risk for airports is role mismatch where employees remain in position but lack the skills needed to perform effectively.
ICAO has consistently emphasized that human performance and competence are central to safety outcomes, particularly as systems become more complex (ICAO, Human Factors).
Supporting employees through role evolution means:
When employees understand how their role fits into the future airport, engagement increases and resistance to change decreases.
Airports that are successfully navigating technological change share a few common traits:
Crucially, they recognize that future readiness is not just about systems: it’s about people being able to operate, adapt, and improve those systems over time.
For airport leaders, preparing for future roles starts with asking better questions:
Because technology will continue to evolve. The real differentiator will be whether airport workforce strategies evolve with it.
How is your airport dealing with the increasing pace of technological change? Is your workforce aligned to your evolving needs? Talk to us if you want to find out.