The global air transport industry invested a record $50.8bn in technology in 2025, but SITA says one recurring weakness continues to undermine the full value of that spend: the inability of data to flow seamlessly across systems, operators and partners.
In its 2025 Air Transport IT Insights report, SITA argues that the cost of poor data coordination is now even greater as the Middle East conflict continues to disrupt the aviation sector on a global scale. At the same time, it says operators who are actively addressing the problem are building foundations that could outlast the current crisis.
Chief executive David Lavorel said the industry is operating under significant pressure and that the same limitation appears across every area measured in the report. Where data does not move freely between systems and stakeholders, he said, investment cannot fully unlock its intended benefits. That limitation now carries a higher cost, but also creates a clear opportunity for stronger long-term resilience.
Airlines and airports both increased their IT spending in 2025. Airlines invested $36bn, equivalent to 3.6% of revenue, while airports raised spending to $14.8bn, representing 7.3% of revenue compared with 6.4% the previous year. The strategic driver is shared across both groups: 83% of airlines and 89% of airports say data-driven decision-making is now a strategic priority.
SITA notes that operational reliability has become directly tied to financial performance. According to IATA, flight delays alone account for $30bn in lost industry revenue. That is why 46% of airlines are upgrading flight operations systems to make information accessible in real time across flight, crew, aircraft and passenger systems. The aim is to give operational teams a shared picture early enough to stop local disruption from becoming a wider network problem.
Yet 49% of airlines still identify data integration and consistency as the main barrier to achieving that goal. When information remains fragmented, the window for effective intervention closes before it can be used.
AI is one of the clearest examples of this challenge. Earlier deployments focused on isolated use cases such as predictive alerts, routing and maintenance forecasting. Now, 63% of airlines say they are using AI in operations control to manage disruption, aircraft assignment and crew availability simultaneously. In addition, 79% identify generative AI and large language models as their top investment priority over the next 12 months.
However, AI delivers the most value when it can coordinate decisions across multiple systems. SITA found that only 17% of airlines currently use AI to monitor turnaround activity in real time — one of the areas most dependent on consistent multi-party data. Airports are moving faster, with 53% now applying AI to aircraft turnaround, up from 36% in 2024. Lavorel said the issue is no longer the technology itself, but the infrastructure needed to connect the data behind it.
Cybersecurity has also become more complex as airlines and airports interconnect more systems across operations, passengers and partners. A breach no longer threatens only a single platform — it can affect the availability and integrity of shared operational data such as gate changes, turnaround status and passenger information. As a result, 71% of airports now rank cybersecurity as their top overall IT focus, while 68% say it is the main reason for infrastructure upgrades. AI is increasingly part of that response, with 64% of airports using it in cybersecurity, up from 51% last year.
Digital identity is another area moving quickly. Sixty-four percent of airlines now plan to use their own issued digital identity credentials, up from 32% in 2024. Biometric border control, already in place at 54% of airports, is expected to reach 83% by 2028. But again, the limiting factor is coordination. Fifty-seven percent of airlines say airport cooperation is the key requirement for scaling digital identities, compared with 40% a year earlier. Without alignment across the journey, the infrastructure exists but the benefit does not.
The same pattern appears in sustainability. Progress is strongest where one operator controls both the data and the decision. Fleet renewal programmes are being implemented by 83% of airlines, 67% are sourcing sustainable aviation fuel in selected locations, and 75% of airports use building management systems to monitor terminal energy. But adoption of broader emissions tracking and airside carbon measurement — both of which depend on shared data across airlines, handlers and infrastructure providers — remains below 20%.
SITA’s conclusion is consistent across AI, cybersecurity, digital identity and sustainability: progress moves furthest where data is coordinated effectively across systems and partners. Lavorel said this is no longer a future priority but the central issue limiting results today.
