The 2024 North American Air Transport IT Insights report, published by SITA in partnership with Airlines for America (A4A), has indicated a significant shift in IT investment priorities among North American carriers.
The report, which reflects insights from carriers responsible for more than 60% of the region’s passenger traffic, highlights a strong emphasis on cybersecurity and AI as primary areas of focus for the upcoming year.
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The findings reveal that 77% of airlines in North America have identified cybersecurity as one of their top three IT priorities for 2025, with 45% selecting it as their foremost concern.
Similarly, AI has emerged as a critical focus, with nearly half of the respondents naming it their top priority, surpassing global trends in commitment to AI innovation.
Key findings from the report include a concentrated investment in cybersecurity measures, with all surveyed airlines implementing advanced strategies such as privileged account management, single sign-on authentication, and distributed denial of service (DDoS) protection.
AI applications are also prevalent, particularly in areas such as cybersecurity, operational scaling, and predictive disruption management.
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By GlobalDataThe report further notes that 72% of North American airlines are training AI models using collected data, a figure that is more than double the global average of 28%.
Additionally, 9% of these airlines have incorporated large language models (LLMs) into their operations, compared to just 2% globally.
Investment in emerging technologies is also on the rise, with 70% of airlines adopting business intelligence (BI) software, 45% utilising computer vision, and 38% implementing private 5G networks, according to SITA.
Collaboration with external partners in AI development is reported by more than 80% of airlines, significantly exceeding global averages.
The report identifies the security of third-party vendors as the primary cybersecurity challenge, with all respondents acknowledging it as a critical issue.
In addition to cybersecurity and AI, North American airlines are investing in biometric technologies and sustainability initiatives.
More than half of the airlines have adopted biometric-enabled processes to improve identity management and streamline travel, surpassing global adoption rates.
Furthermore, at least 80% of the airlines are taking steps towards environmental responsibility, including sourcing sustainable aviation fuel, retrofitting fleets, and investing in electric or hydrogen-powered aircraft to meet carbon reduction objectives.
SITA Americas president Shawn Gregor said: “The 2024 North American IT Insights report clearly shows that airlines are not just responding to current operational challenges but are actively investing in the technologies that will scale to support seamless air travel.
“From cybersecurity defences to AI-driven operational efficiencies, North American airlines are setting the pace for industry-wide transformation ahead of forecasted rapid growth in passenger volume.”
Last month, Matarat Holding and SITA established a partnership through a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to advance the digital transformation of airports in Saudi Arabia.
