In Connico's latest Word on the Runway segment, Chrysalis Global Business Development Associate David Wolfe Bender discusses how technology integration and operational readiness will define the next era of airports.
David Wolfe Bender (Business Development Associate, Chrysalis Global) was recently featured in Connico's Word on the Runway series, joining aviation industry leaders in a discussion of what will define the next era of airports.
In the latest installment, Connico asked industry peers a forward-looking question: what will define the next era of airports, and what should the industry be preparing for now? Responses touched on capital planning, passenger demand, workforce constraints, and the growing role of AI. Bender's contribution focused on a challenge Chrysalis sees firsthand across airport programs: technology integration and operational readiness.
"Across airports worldwide, a growing proliferation of technology is underway, including AI, big data platforms, and other advanced digital systems. While adoption continues to accelerate, these technologies often overlap and must interface with one another in complex airport environments.
That overlap introduces integration challenges that extend beyond individual system performance. Operational readiness, activation, and transition (ORAT) plays a critical role in addressing that complexity by ensuring systems function not only within their own environments, but also as part of a larger interconnected ecosystem.
This requires airports to move beyond traditional commissioning and testing approaches. While systems may be validated independently, additional layers of testing are needed to evaluate performance as integrated systems and within live operational environments.
As a result, increased emphasis is being placed on end-to-end testing, simulation exercises, and live environment trials to validate system performance at scale. This shift reflects the growing complexity of airport technology ecosystems and the need for more holistic approaches to activation and readiness."
This perspective reflects a core Chrysalis belief: as airports layer in more interconnected technology, ORAT becomes the discipline that ties those systems, and the people who operate them, together before day one. Testing systems in isolation is no longer enough; airports need to validate how those systems perform together, under live conditions, before passengers ever pass through.
The full Connico piece, including insights from Michael Feeney, Estimating Director at Connico, and TJ Schulz, President of the Airport Consultants Council, is available here.
Chrysalis Global provides solutions across multiple industries, including aviation, sports/entertainment, technology/manufacturing, healthcare, transportation, and nonprofit/government. Learn more here.
For more information about Chrysalis Global Aviation's work, visit chrysalisglobal.com/aviation.
