The world’s most innovative airports in 2025: ACI–Amadeus Technology Innovation Awards
November 27, 2025
Airports Council International (ACI) World and Amadeus have announced the winners of the 2025 Technology Innovation Awards. This year’s awards spotlight that turned digital transformation, data-driven operations and sustainable design into real-world improvements, reducing friction, boosting efficiency and enhancing the passenger experience.
The awards recognise solutions implemented between January 2024 and May 2025. Categories cover passenger processes, airport operations, and an “airport on the rise” award for smaller facilities showing standout progress.
Below are the key highlights from this year’s winners.
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Bengaluru’s Kempegowda International Airport: Seamless Biometric Bag-Drop
Category: Best Innovation in Airport Passenger-Related Processes
Bengaluru’s Kempegowda International Airport earned an award for its biometric-enabled paperless bag drop. With facial recognition linked to India’s DigiYatra’s digital identity platform, passengers can authenticate themselves and check their luggage without having to show physical ID or present boarding passes.
“Passengers simply look into a camera, and the system validates identity, retrieves flight data, and completes baggage check-in in under 60 seconds,” ACI states in the announcement.
With the introduction of biometric bag-drop, Bangalore International Airport “became the first airport in India to implement a truly end-to-end biometric passenger journey,” according to ACI.
Queen Alia International Airport, Amman: AI-Powered Smart Cleaning
Category: Best Innovation in Airport Operations and Installations Management
Queen Alia International Airport in Jordan won an award for its Smart Cleaning System, which combines data from multiple airport operations sources to manage a traditionally manual airport function.
“The SCS integrates Airport Systems—including flight schedules, passenger flow, IoT sensors and passenger feedback along with mobile tools and robotic support—into centralised dashboards, ensuring full visibility of cleaning activity and enabling proactive staffing and machine planning, scheduling, and task assignment,” ACI states.
The innovative digitalisation improves the passenger experience by optimising behind-the-scenes operations, improving cleanliness standards, responsiveness, and workforce allocation.
Roland Garros Airport, Réunion Island: Sustainable Bioclimatic Terminal
Category: Best Innovation – Airport on the Rise
Roland Garros Airport in Réunion Island was honoured for its bioclimatic terminal project, a sustainability-led approach to terminal design suited to tropical environments.
The project uses passive cooling, natural ventilation, solar-heat reduction strategies, daylight maximisation and landscaping to regulate temperature and reduce energy demand. Its design reduces reliance on mechanical cooling systems while creating a comfortable environment for passengers.
“The winning design by AIA Life Designers meets ambitious sustainability goals by harnessing prevailing winds to naturally cool the building, reducing the need for air conditioning. It minimises solar heat gain while maximising natural light, ensures thermal comfort through passive design and airflow, incorporates landscaped cool zones to enhance the microclimate, and manages rainwater in ways that also support local biodiversity,” ACI states.
The terminal is a model for smaller or remote airports pursuing climate-conscious development.
ACI Awards reflect a cross-section of what’s next for airports
Taken together, this year’s Technology Innovation Award winners reflect three key global airport trends:
- Biometrics and digital identity are becoming foundational. Airports are using ID-on-the-move technology to streamline processes and eliminate documents from critical touchpoints.
- AI and data platforms are moving deeper into airport operations. Predictive and real-time systems now support cleaning, maintenance and resource planning — areas that have been slow to digitalise.
- Sustainable design is expanding from large hubs to smaller airports. Energy-efficient, climate-responsive terminals are becoming a mainstream path for new infrastructure.
The winners of this year’s ACI–Amadeus Technology Innovation Awards offer a glimpse of the most innovative solutions gaining traction as airports around the world face rising passenger numbers, staffing constraints and pressure to decarbonise.
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Featured Image: Sameer2905 | Wikimedia Commons
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