Industry puts cybersecurity in top spot

Airlines and airports are spending more heavily on IT for cybersecurity and cloud services, with this year’s outlays expected to top US$33 billion (1.09 trillion baht).

The 2017 spending, estimated by communications and IT solutions provider SITA, is 13.3% higher than the $28.9 billion spent in 2016.

The increase reflects the air transport industry’s move toward digital transformation to address the growing threat of cyberattacks and to boost overall efficiency.

According to the SITA 2017 Air Transport IT Trends Insights, IT spending remains strong with airlines’ amount as a percentage of revenue projected to rise 3.3% or $24.3 billion in 2017. For airports, the amount is forecast at 5.1% or $8.43 billion.

Looking ahead to 2018, 70% of airlines and 88% of airports forecast IT investment will grow or remain at the same levels.

As IT capital expenditure grows, both airlines and airports said the top priority for investment is cybersecurity. Nearly everyone in the industry— 95% of airlines and 96% of airports — plan to invest in major programmes or R&D for cybersecurity initiatives over the next three years.

This shows alignment across the industry on the importance of investing in this area, the report said.

“The air transport industry is going through digital transformation and focusing its attention on protecting the business and passengers, making it more efficient and improving the passenger experience,” said Ilya Gutlin, president for air travel solutions at SITA.

“Cyberattacks are a very real threat in the highly interwoven air transport industry so building solid defences is essential,” he said. “Cloud services provide important efficiencies, which play a key role in keeping costs down. Investments in self-service improve passenger satisfaction.”