Preparing the Airport Workforce for Emerging Technologies and Data-Informed Decision Making

Airports are operating in an increasingly complex environment driven by rapid technological change, expanding data availability, evolving safety expectations, and growing operational demands. At the same time, airports continue to face workforce challenges, including retirements, competition for skilled labor, recruitment and retention issues, and the loss of institutional knowledge. Although airports collect increasing amounts of workforce and operational data, these data often remain fragmented across separate systems, limiting their ability to align workforce capabilities and staffing decisions with operational needs and the adoption of emerging technologies. The objective of this research is to develop practical guidance, tools, and implementation resources that help airports modernize workforce development while improving data-informed workforce decision-making. The research will produce an airport workforce framework, role-based training pathways, guidance for integrating workforce and operational data, and implementation resources that airports of varying size and complexity can use to strengthen workforce capabilities, support staffing and operational decisions, and complement existing workforce research while minimizing duplication.

• Record URL:
  • http://apps.trb.org/cmsfeed/TRBNetProjectDisplay.asp?ProjectID=6108
• Supplemental Notes:
  • Contract to a Performing Organization has not yet been awarded.

Language

• English

Project

• Status: Proposed
• Funding: $400,000.00
• Contract Numbers:

  Project 06-14

• Sponsor Organizations:

  Federal Aviation Administration

  800 Independence Avenue, SW
  Washington, DC  United States  20591
• Managing Organizations:

  Airport Cooperative Research Program (ACRP)

  Transportation Research Board
  500 Fifth Street, NW
  Washington, DC  United States  20001
• Project Managers:

  Picciano, Tara

• Start Date: 20260831
• Expected Completion Date: 0
• Actual Completion Date: 0
• USDOT Program: Airport Cooperative Research Program

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Airports; Data analysis; Decision making; Personnel development; Technological innovations; Training
• Subject Areas: Aviation; Data and Information Technology; Education and Training; Terminals and Facilities;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 02001509
• Record Type: Research project
• Source Agency: Transportation Research Board
• Contract Numbers: Project 06-14
• Files: TRB, RIP
• Created Date: Sep 1 2026 10:02AM