Airports and airlines are installing futuristic technologies in preparation for when travel restrictions are finally eased.
Touchless technologies, such as digital toilet queues, and systems that monitor passengers temperatures throughout flights, will be used to reduce the risk of the coronavirus spreading.
High-tech safety measures are already being installed in Avalon Airport in Melbourne, Victoria’s second busiest airport.
Airport boss Justin Giddings has installed a new security screening system which eliminates the hassle of having to remove technology and liquids from carry-on bags, news.com.au reported.
The advanced technology is aimed at reducing public touch points and congregating in queues, he said.
Airports and airlines are installing futuristic technologies in preparation for when travel restrictions are finally eased (Pictured: A woman checking in for a flight)
Touchless technologies, such as digital toilet queues, and systems that monitor passengers temperatures throughout flights, will be used to reduce the risk of the coronavirus spreading (Pictured: Passengers are seen wearing face masks as they line up for security)
The airport has also installed touchless check-in screens and bag drop systems.
Before the pandemic, airports were working to use touchless check-in screens to speed up the process. That technology will likely be used to prevent the virus from spreading.
Instead of handing over your passport, a biometric device may be used to scan passenger’s faces as soon as they check in.
Aaron Hornlimann, chief executive of Elenium Automation, said in-flight services will have to change as a result of the pandemic.
He predicts safety cards and food menus will be scrapped, they will instead be be accessible digitally via your phone.
Queues for the bathroom will be eliminated, with passengers forced to book a spot through an app.
Airlines will likely introduce technology to track passenger health throughout the flights.
‘Like FitBit can track your sleep, an airline will be able to track your temperature for example,’ he said.
Airports will look different once travel resumes as airport bosses install new technology to ensure safe travel amid the pandemic
Airport boss Justin Giddings has installed a new security screening system which eliminates the hassle of having to remove technology and liquids from carry-on bags
‘So you may well not have one when you board the aircraft, but you could develop one in-flight and the airline will be able to detect that and take the appropriate steps before landing.
‘There are many applications of these types of technologies which will change our flying experience in the near future.’
The technology was initially designed for passengers with disabilities but has been adapted to ensure customers avoid touching common surfaces.
Australia’s domestic aviation shutdown over the past seven months has cost $17 billion, while the figure for international flights is $61 billion.
Queues for the bathroom will be eliminated, with passengers forced to book a spot through an app
About 34,000 people have been affected by job losses and furloughed positions, with the nation’s two major carriers laying off around 11,500 employees.
The first steps towards international travel have already begun with New Zealanders allowed into Australia under a one-way arrangement.
New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern is expected to make an announcement on Australian travel when she swears in her new cabinet this week.
The move would mean Australians can travel abroad for the first time since March 20, when international borders were shut and exemptions only given out in extreme circumstances.
Robot cleaning systems will likely be introduced in airports. Plane toilets will use ultraviolet lights to disinfect after each use
Passengers have their temperature checked by health officials as they arrive from a Qantas flight at Sydney Airport
Federal Tourism Minister Simon Birmingham on Thursday said quarantine-free travel between the two countries would be recognition of how well both countries handled COVID-19.
While Europe and North America suffer through another horror wave of the virus with tens of thousands dead, Australia and New Zealand have escaped relatively unscathed.
The deputy head of the COVID co-ordination unit at the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Jenny Da Rin, said almost 2,000 New Zealanders had entered Australia since the borders relaxed on October 16.