American Civil Aviation Infrastructure Is In Dire Need Of A “Smart” Uplift

American Civil Aviation Infrastructure Is In Dire Need Of A “Smart” Uplift

A Passenger walks through a "smart tunnel " at Dubai airport terminal 3 that uses face recognition ... [+] technology to check the passenger's passport as they walk through it. (Photo credit: GIUSEPPE CACACE/AFP via Getty Images) Now many years in the making, the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act of 2021 landed on President Biden's desk and was signed a few weeks ago. The legislation calls for $1. 2 trillion in overall spending and sets aside $25 billion in much-needed funding that includes $15 billion for airport infrastructure grants, $5 billion for airport terminal programs and $5 billion for Federal Aviation Administration facilities and services. So, aside from modernizing/replacing aging runways and air traffic-control systems, what new, continued or additional investment will give the industry its strongest lift? Building smart airports. From facial recognition to other biometrics, artificial intelligence, automation systems and technology investments can help speed passengers through the various checkpoints. If "getting there is half the fun," and airports and private investors are investing in amenities that make airports interim destinations, they also must focus on mitigating traveler friction resulting from laborious airport experiences. "REAL ID" compliance, for example, frankly strikes me as an outdated solution relative to