Governance and Risk Management Framework for AI Adoption in Airport Operations
Airports are increasingly adopting artificial intelligence (AI) across a wide range of operational and administrative functions, including baggage screening, biometric passenger processing, security threat detection, predictive maintenance, autonomous mobility devices, passenger-facing chatbots, and operations optimization. Although AI adoption continues to accelerate, airports lack a common governance structure to guide responsible implementation, define organizational roles and accountability, assess AI-related risks, and align AI deployment with existing regulatory obligations. These challenges extend beyond information technology and affect multiple airport functions, including operations, security, legal, workforce planning, airline relations, customer experience, and public trust. Small and medium commercial service airports face additional challenges because they often lack the staff and resources needed to develop governance structures independently. This research will develop a practical governance and risk management framework for AI adoption in airport operations. The project will be conducted as a phased research effort, providing an expedited initial deliverable followed by completion of the full research project. The research will produce an enterprise governance model, an airport-specific AI risk assessment methodology, regulatory compliance guidance aligned with existing federal and international frameworks, a stakeholder accountability model, implementation toolkits scalable for airports of different sizes, and workforce guidance addressing AI implementation, retraining, human oversight, algorithm transparency, and public communication.
- Record URL:
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Supplemental Notes:
- Contract to a Performing Organization has not yet been awarded.
Language
- English
Project
- Status: Proposed
- Funding: $550,000.00
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Contract Numbers:
Project 01-62
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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:
Murthy, Krishna
- Start Date: 20260831
- Expected Completion Date: 0
- Actual Completion Date: 0
- USDOT Program: Airport Cooperative Research Program
Subject/Index Terms
- TRT Terms: Airports; Artificial intelligence; Governance; Regulation; Risk management; Technology adoption
- Subject Areas: Aviation; Data and Information Technology; Planning and Forecasting; Terminals and Facilities;
Filing Info
- Accession Number: 02001731
- Record Type: Research project
- Source Agency: Transportation Research Board
- Contract Numbers: Project 01-62
- Files: TRB, RIP
- Created Date: Sep 3 2026 8:41AM