Airlines Confront Leadership and Legacy Barriers in Digital Transformation Push.
CAPA Airline Leader Summit session highlights AI ambition, legacy IT constraints and the strategic shift reshaping aviation economics.
At the CAPA Airline Leader Summit – World in Lisbon, industry executives examined the widening gap between aviation’s digital ambition and operational reality. While artificial intelligence, cloud migration, biometrics and automation are unlocking new capabilities in disruption management, predictive maintenance and retailing, progress remains uneven. Leaders emphasised that technology alone is not transformative; strategic clarity, organisational readiness and disciplined investment ultimately determine outcomes.
Airlines are expanding the use of generative AI in network planning, crew management and customer engagement, while biometric processing and automation are streamlining airport journeys. However, fragile legacy IT systems and fragmented data environments continue to constrain scalability. High capital costs, regulatory complexity and unclear AI business cases often result in initiatives stalling at pilot stage, limiting enterprise-wide impact.
Beyond systems, the session underscored workforce reskilling, governance reform and cultural change as central to meaningful digital progress. Advanced retailing, loyalty evolution and ancillary revenue platforms are reshaping airline economics, positioning digital transformation as a continuous leadership-driven process. In an industry defined by thin margins and operational risk, executives agreed that sustainable competitive advantage depends on integrating technology into long-term operating models rather than treating it as a standalone programme.
