• TRENDS
Airbus is advancing its ZEROe hydrogen aircraft programme
With IATA projecting 8.5 billion air passengers annually by 2043, that scale simply cannot be managed without intelligent automation. Leading airports are already demonstrating what this looks like in practice. Singapore’s Changi Airport uses digital twins to model passenger flows and optimise energy consumption in real time, while Dubai Airports has rolled out biometric processing that reduces border formalities to a matter of seconds. At the same time, agentic AI concierges, immersive destination previews and predictive demand forecasting are moving from experimentation to everyday application. Booking a trip will increasingly feel like a conversation rather than a transaction, with systems responding dynamically to mood, health data and previous travel patterns. The AI tourism market is forecast to reach $554.7 million by 2030 – and that figure likely represents only the early stages of a much larger structural transformation. TOP TIP: Treat AI as core infrastructure, not an add-on, and align digital investment with ethical governance and data transparency. 4 CLEAN MOBILITY DEFINES LEGITIMACY Passenger demand growth toward 2040 will test aviation’s environmental credibility. Hydrogen propulsion, sustainable aviation fuel scaling and electric aircraft are moving from pilot stage to commercial planning. Airbus, for example, is advancing its ZEROe hydrogen aircraft programme with the ambition of bringing a hydrogen-powered commercial aircraft to market in the 2030s, signalling that next-generation propulsion is shifting from concept to industrial roadmap. In parallel, NEOM is testing autonomous and zero-emission transport systems, offering a glimpse of integrated low-carbon mobility at destination scale. Rail and intermodal networks will become increasingly competitive for short- and mid- haul travel, particularly across Europe and parts of Asia where high-speed corridors are expanding rapidly. By 2040, seamless connections between air, rail and next-generation ground mobility could redefine long-distance journeys. If travel is to maintain public support at 3 billion annual trips, visible progress in emissions reduction will be essential.
Asia-Pacific is expected to generate more than half of all new global travellers by 2029.
Singapore’s Changi Airport uses digital twins to model passenger flows
$386 billion by 2033. Meanwhile, Asia-Pacific is expected to generate more than half of all new global travellers by 2029. This shift is not just about volume. It represents a redistribution of cultural influence and spending power. Younger, digitally native travellers from India, China, Vietnam and Saudi Arabia are demanding experiences that reflect identity, authenticity and flexibility. Middle Eastern aviation hubs are already recalibrating. Dubai and Riyadh are expanding connectivity eastward, positioning themselves as interchange nodes between Asia, Europe and Africa. Route maps are
adjusting accordingly. By 2040, network strategy will be determined less by legacy Western demand and more by Asian middle- class expansion. TOP TIP: Build destination narratives and digital ecosystems that resonate with emerging-market values and booking behaviours, not just traditional Western expectations. 3 AI IS THE INFRASTRUCTURE OF EXPERIENCE By 2040, artificial intelligence will underpin every stage of the journe, often so seamlessly that travellers barely notice it.
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