2026 Futures Study released: A Strategic Roadmap for the Next Generation of Airports
AirportNEXT and ACI-NA have released the 2026 Futures Study – A Strategic Roadmap for the Next Generation of Airports. The Study identifies the key trends affecting airports over the next 3 - 5 years, and potential strategies with case studies to address them. Work began in late 2025 and took nine months to complete.
Phase 1 identified 55 trends through strategic radar mapping and AI-assisted research, then asked 320 airport executives across the USA and Canada to rank them. Cybersecurity threats to operational technology systems ranked highest by a significant margin, universally across all types of airports, management roles, and for both countries. Four major themes emerged from the top 25 trends: tough business conditions & economic uncertainty, advanced technology innovation and adoption, acceleration in risk management, and shifting community expectations.
Phase 2 built on the strategies and replies contributed by airport CEOs at the 2026 ACI-NA CEO Forum. The project team developed and refined these through research and structured analysis, then sent them to 32 AirportNEXT airports for final review and validation. The result is 120 strategies and 72 case studies from 61 North American airports, organized into the 12 variables of the AirportNEXT Stakeholder Engagement model.
The Study can be used on a stand-alone basis to support an airport's strategic planning and master planning work, and to address key focus areas identified by stakeholders in their AirportNEXT assessments.