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Guide to Establishing Artificial Intelligence Adoption at Airports

BACKGROUND - Artificial intelligence (AI) is recognized as a tool to improve airport operations, planning, asset management, maintenance, customer service, cybersecurity, safety monitoring, and administrative functions. Airports are exploring how AI may be incorporated into existing business processes and operational environments. AI introduces a fundamentally different set of risks than traditional informational technology (IT) systems, and airports face uncertainty when evaluating potential AI applications because few have explicit AI governance to determine when, where, and how to apply AI. Airports vary in their operational complexity, governance structures, technical resources, digital maturity, and financial capacity, making it difficult to apply generalized AI adoption. Airport decision-makers need actionable resources that help them define their AI strategy, evaluate organizational and technical readiness, compare potential investments, and develop realistic implementation plans. OBJECTIVES - The objectives of this research are to develop (1) a guide and accompanying tools for airports of all sizes to develop holistic enterprise AI program strategy and establish a broad framework of governance practices for an AI program; and (2) a guide and accompanying tools for airports of all sizes for organizational readiness and to create an implementation framework for an AI program. RESEARCH PLAN - The ACRP is seeking the insights of proposers on how best to achieve the research objectives. Proposers are expected to describe research plans that can realistically be accomplished within the constraints of available funds and subaward time. Proposals must present the proposers' current thinking in sufficient detail to demonstrate their understanding of the issues and the soundness of their approach to meeting the research objectives. The work proposed must be divided into tasks and proposers must describe the work proposed in detail. Note: This project has been divided into two phases to produce final products as soon as possible. Phase I will focus on AI program strategy and government practices as defined in the objectives. Phase I draft final deliverables should be submitted 9 months after the subaward execution to account for panel review, and final deliverables are expected 11 months after the execution date. Phase II will focus on organizational readiness and implementation framework as defined in the objectives. Phase II draft final deliverables should be submitted 19 months after the subaward execution to account for panel review, and final deliverables are expected 21 months after the execution date. PHASE I – Strategy and Governance Practices: The guide and accompanying tools for Phase I should be developed for airports of all sizes to responsibly, securely, and effectively adopt AI. The research should provide a comprehensive framework to help airports progress in their AI journey, from exploration to enterprise adoption, while addressing operational, organizational, governance, and regulatory considerations unique to the aviation industry. The guide and tools (see Special Note A) should help airports: (1) Develop a holistic enterprise AI program Strategy based on operational needs and organizational priorities. The AI Strategy should help airports evaluate when/where AI is the right fit, align AI initiatives with airport strategic priorities, and evaluate implications for scaling from pilot to enterprise. (2) Establish broad framework of Governance Practices (see Special Note B) that enable responsible use of AI. The framework should at a minimum address governance structure, roles and responsibilities, AI decision-making authority, organizational accountability of AI actions, data governance, risk management, privacy and ethical considerations, while considering standards and regulations. Deliverables for Phase I will include: (1) Interim Report No. 1, which provides a description and analysis of each research task completed to date, a detailed outline for the Phase I guide, description of the Phase I accompanying tools, and an updated amplified research plan for Phase II to be submitted no later than 6 months after the subaward execution. (2) A guide with a strategy and governance planning framework for an AI program, which will include: AI strategy development template, AI opportunity assessment tool, baseline AI governance framework, and risk assessment tool specific to AI. Note: Following a 1-month review of Interim Report No. 1 by the ACRP, the research team will meet with the project panel to discuss the interim report. Note: The draft Final Deliverables for Phase I should be submitted no later than 9 months after the subaward execution. PHASE II – Organizational Readiness and Implementation Framework: The guide and accompanying tools for Phase II should be developed for airports of all sizes to responsibly, securely, and effectively adopt AI. The research should provide a comprehensive framework to help airports progress in their AI journey, from exploration to enterprise adoption, while addressing operational, organizational, governance, and regulatory considerations unique to the aviation industry. The guide and tools (see Special Note A) should help airports: (1) Assess Organizational Readiness through key capabilities needed by airports planning to implement AI at scale. The readiness framework should help evaluate technical readiness, workforce proficiency, cultural considerations, and approach to change management. (2) Develop an Implementation Framework to execute the AI strategy. The implementation framework should provide best practices for successful rollout of AI, scaling pilot programs into enterprise deployments, life cycle analysis, developing an AI roadmap from planning through production, and ongoing operation and maintenance while considering different airport governance types (i.e., city-owned, county-owned, authority, etc.) with varying levels of in-house technical expertise and control. Additionally, it should identify ways to monitor execution of AI implementation, including measurements of success and failure. Deliverables for Phase II will include: (1) Interim Report No. 2, which provides a description and analysis of each research task completed to date, a detailed outline for the Phase II guide, a description of the Phase II accompanying tools, and potential problem statement(s) based on research gaps to be submitted no later than 16 months after the subaward execution. (2) A guide for organizational readiness and an implementation framework for an AI program, which will include: organizational readiness assessment tool with maturity assessment; technology readiness assessment; AI implementation toolkit, including build vs. buy vs. partner assessment; and AI performance measurement guide. (3) A technical memo titled “Implementation of Research Findings and Products” (see Item IV). (4) A conduct of research report documenting the entire research effort, results, analysis, and problem statements (see Item V). Note: Following a 1-month review of Interim Report No. 2 by the ACRP, the research team will meet with the project panel to discuss the interim report. The Draft Final Deliverables for Phase II should be submitted no later than 19 months after the subaward execution. The research plan shall include the following checkpoints with the ACRP panel: (1) A kickoff web meeting to be held within 1 month of the Notice to Proceed; (2) A 30-minute web meeting to be held the week following the delivery of each quarterly progress report; (3) Two panel meetings to review each interim report, web-enabled virtual conferences tied to the panel review, and ACRP approval of other interim deliverables as deemed appropriate. Final deliverables shall include: Phase I guide and tools; Phase II guide and tools; a technical memo titled “Implementation of Research Findings and Products” (see Item IV); and a conduct of research report documenting the entire research effort, results, analysis, and problem statements (see Item V). Note: Following receipt of the draft final deliverables, there should be 2 months for ACRP review and comments and for the research team’s preparation of the final deliverables. For budgeting purposes, proposers should assume that ACRP will provide access to web-enabled teleconference services. ACRP will pay panel members’ travel costs for the face-to-face interim meeting. Proposers should assume that the meeting will be held in Washington, DC. SPECIAL NOTES - A. Tools should include interactive, digital deliverables. An interactive deliverable should allow an airport user to enter their parameters into the tool to receive guided steps. A successful proposal will include examples of interactive deliverables. The guidance document(s) should reflect the project’s objectives, including the framework, and the tools should support and align with that guidance. B. ACRP Project 01-62, "Governance and Risk Management Framework for AI Adoption in Airport Operations" will focus on developing practical governance and risk management framework for AI adoption in airport operations. This project objective asks for a broad framework of government practices; while general guidance should be provided, the framework should avoid substantial overlap with ACRP Project 01-62. C. The proposed research team should be multidisciplinary and must include individuals with practical experience and demonstrated expertise in the areas of AI deployment and airport environment. D. The cooperative research programs are applied research programs, and projects are structured to seek practical solutions for critical problems that exist nationwide. Final deliverables should not provide or sell commercial vendor solutions. IMPORTANT - I. The brochure Information and Instructions for Preparing Proposals for the Transportation Research Board’s Cooperative Research Programs includes extensive guidance on the preparation of acceptable proposals for submission to CRP. Revisions to these instructions are highlighted in yellow within that document. II. Proposals will be rejected if any of the proposed research team members work for organizations represented on the project panel. The panel roster for this project can be found at https://www.mytrb.org/OnlineDirectory/Committee/Details/7162. Proposers may not contact panel members directly; this roster is provided solely for the purpose of avoiding potential conflicts of interest. III. The text of the final deliverable is expected to be publication ready when it is submitted. It is strongly recommended that the research team include the expertise of a technical editor as early in the project timeline as possible. See Appendix F of the Procedural Manual for Subawardees Conducting Research in the Transportation Research Board’s Cooperative Research Program for technical editing standards expected in final deliverables. IV. The required technical memorandum titled, “Implementation of Research Findings and Products” should provide: (a) recommended tactics to facilitate implementation; (b) possible institutions/partners and their potential implementation role; (c) potential impediments to successful implementation; (d) metrics to measure extent of product use and benefit; (e) related FAA guidance; and (f) appendices as needed. An annotated template for the memorandum is found here: https://onlinepubs.trb.org/onlinepubs/acrp/ACRP_Implementation_TechMemo_Template_2019.pdf V. The summary of the problem statement(s) objective(s) should be included in the interim report and conduct of research report, along with the decision(s) of the panel about each problem statement. VI. The National Academies have an ethical and legal obligation to provide proper attribution whenever material from other sources is included in its reports, online postings, and other publications and products. TRB will review all Cooperative Research Programs draft final deliverables using the software iThenticate for potential plagiarism. If plagiarized text appears in the draft final deliverable, the research team will be required to make revisions and the opportunity to submit future proposals may be affected. Proposals must be uploaded via this link: https://www.dropbox.com/request/ovc30p36446ffdra0kne Proposals are due not later than 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time on 10/21/2026. This is a firm deadline, and extensions are not granted. In order to be considered for award, the agency's proposal must be in our offices not later than the deadline shown, or the proposal will be rejected. General Notes - (1) Regarding non-discrimination practices and policies, proposers are required to comply with applicable federal and state laws and regulations (including without limitation, federal civil rights laws, regulations, and requirements) and follow applicable federal guidance, except as the Federal Government determines otherwise in writing. Without limitation of the foregoing, proposers agree to prohibit discrimination as prescribed by Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. (2) The essential features required in a proposal for research are detailed in the current brochure entitled "Information and Instructions for Preparing Proposals". Proposals must be prepared according to this document, and attention is directed specifically to Section IV for mandatory requirements. Proposals that do not conform with these requirements will be rejected. (3) The total funds available are made known in the project statement, and line items of the budget are examined to determine the reasonableness of the allocation of funds to the various tasks. If the proposed total cost exceeds the funds available, the proposal is rejected. (4) All proposals become the property of the Transportation Research Board. Final disposition will be made according to the policies thereof, including the right to reject all proposals. (5) Potential proposers should understand that follow-on activities for this project may be carried out through either a contract amendment modifying the scope of work with additional time and funds, or through a new contract (via sole source, full, or restrictive competition).

Language

  • English

Project

  • Status: Proposed
  • Funding: $470,000.00
  • Contract Numbers:

    Project 03-88

  • 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:

    Christensen, Jordan

  • Start Date: 20270104
  • Expected Completion Date: 0
  • Actual Completion Date: 0
  • USDOT Program: Airport Cooperative Research Program

Subject/Index Terms

Filing Info

  • Accession Number: 02001704
  • Record Type: Research project
  • Source Agency: Transportation Research Board
  • Contract Numbers: Project 03-88
  • Files: TRB, RIP
  • Created Date: Sep 2 2026 4:33PM