The world around us has changed dramatically, particularly since the beginning of the twenty-first century, mainly due to the broad availability of the Internet. Inventions such as smart phones, apps, virtual face to face conversations, coupled with the rise of Facebook, Google, Amazon & Co. added a lot of speed to this development. The digital revolution empowers the consumer and determines ever increasing expectations. At the same time, latest tech developments such as artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning (ML), blockchain, voice and more create opportunities never seen before. However, the aviation industry to a large extent has remained stuck in legacy processes and their decades old technology. It also suffers from low profit margins. With a few exceptions, aviation management overall struggles on how to adapt to the real-time and agile environment. Digital transformation activities have started both in operational and commercial areas, but fundamental underlying platforms and culture change in most cases have not yet been addressed. This chapter explains reasons behind key pain points of the industry, what activities are ongoing and the main areas that need to change to get into shape for the current dynamic environment.
Part of the book: Aviation and Its Management