SITA’s $1.6B year: What the tech giant’s growth says about aviation’s digital future
July 28, 2025
SITA has reported record revenues of $1.6 billion for 2024, an 8.3% year-on-year rise that capped off what the company calls a “transformational” period for both its own operations and the wider air transport ecosystem.
But the top line only tells part of the story. With strategic acquisitions, a deeper push into sustainability tech, and a growing role in airport infrastructure design, SITA is signalling a shift from IT vendor to digital architecture partner for global aviation.
“We want to take SITA and aviation to the next level. To new frontiers,” wrote CEO David Lavorel in the group’s 2024 Impact Report. “We stand at an inflexion point. AI, big data, analytics, predictive tools, cloud, biometrics and digital identities – they’re all coming together to define a new era of ‘travel tech’.”
SITA’s IPS acquisition promises even better passenger processing
SITA’s most prominent move in 2024 was its acquisition of Materna IPS, now branded ‘IPS – a SITA company.’ The deal created what it claims is “the world’s most powerful portfolio for passenger processing”, strengthening SITA’s position as the number-one provider in self-bag drop and biometric check-in technologies.
In parallel, SITA extended its presence across the operational spectrum, acquiring ASISTIM to bolster airline flight operations control centre services and launching SmartSea, a new venture aimed at applying aviation-grade passenger tech to the cruise sector.
“It’s a wrap! 2024 was our year,” Lavorel noted. “We acquired companies and expanded into new markets. Our stellar performance brought strong growth.”
Aviation’s digital transformation is helping the move to net-zero
SITA’s digital tools are also increasingly being used to support the industry’s emissions reduction goals. More than 40 airlines now use its OptiFlight and eWAS tools to optimise flight paths and weather avoidance.
In 2024 alone, those solutions contributed to 308,000 tons of CO₂ savings, along with nearly 98,000 tons of fuel, a reduction equivalent to circling the globe more than 1,000 times in a commercial jet.
The company’s Eco Mission platform, developed in collaboration with the Arab Air Carriers’ Organisation (AACO), was designed to help carriers navigate emissions regulations and operationalise net-zero ambitions without sacrificing efficiency or profitability.
SITA feeds into airports of the future
A noteworthy evolution is SITA’s move into airport interior and masterplanning. The acquisition of Italian airport design firm CCM in early 2025 shows SITA’s intention to embed digital capability into infrastructure from day one.
“Together, we’ll create future-ready travel spaces, planning for optimum passenger flow and baggage handling in the early stages of airport and terminal design,” Lavorel stated.
SITA also continued its rollout of the AI-powered Total Optimizer, which uses advanced analytics to help airports balance emissions reductions against other key metrics like capacity, cost and passenger experience. Pilots in Toronto and Naples are already underway.
Digital transformation in aviation through biometrics
SITA’s role in digital identity infrastructure deepened in 2024. It remains the only provider of a full end-to-end solution using ICAO’s Digital Travel Credential (DTC) standard.
A trial in Aruba with a major North American carrier cut border crossings to as little as 8 seconds, and the company continues to invest in expanding its Digital Travel Ecosystem to more partners.
By year-end, SITA said its Smart Path biometric solution was live in over 45 airports, with more than 5,000 biometric touchpoints and adoption by more than 50 customers, including airports in India, the US, China and Qatar.
Digital transformation in aviation picks up the pace
The acceleration of digital transformation in aviation isn’t happening in isolation; it’s being driven by urgent, interconnected pressures across the industry.
Soaring passenger numbers, rising environmental expectations, chronic labour shortages, and shifting traveller behaviours are all converging to make automation, data, and seamless digital experiences not just desirable, but essential.
From AI-enhanced operations to mobile-based identity and baggage tracking, the sector is pivoting toward technologies that deliver efficiency, resilience, and trust at scale.
Companies like SITA are thriving not just because they offer the tools, but because the industry now demands a complete rethink of how travel operates in the digital age.
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