Setting the right priorities: Digital Maturity Assessment in the aviation sector

The tech industry is evolving at record speed. New innovations emerge every day, promising smarter operations, leaner processes, and elevated passenger experiences. But with every innovation comes a critical question: Which technologies truly matter for your airline and airport — and which are just hype? Riding the right wave can push your business ahead of competitors and help secure your long-term financial performance. AI, for instance, has become the dominant innovation theme across industries, and aviation is no exception. Future airline discussions will incorporate AI where applicable. The following use cases demonstrate the impact AI is having on the aviation industry:

• IndiGo reduced 75% of agent workload with its ChatGPT-4-powered customer service chatbot
• Qatar Airways launched “Sama,” an AI-powered digital cabin crew, blending technology with human connection for personalized experience
• KLM’s “TRAYS” AI model cuts food waste by predicting passenger no-shows — saving over 100 tons of meals annually
• American Airlines uses AI for gate optimization, saving 17 hours of taxi time and 4,500 tons of fuel per year.
• Alaska Airlines leverages machine learning for flight planning, saving 12,000 tons of CO₂ emissions annually
• Heathrow’s project SEEKER applies AI to fight wildlife trafficking with a 70% detection success rate

Yet, for all the hype surrounding new tech and AI, there is still a level of uncertainty. Decisions about adopting new tech into an organization require close monitoring, strategic foresight and critical evaluation.

Digital maturity isn’t just about implementing new technology. It’s about integrating digital thinking into every aspect of your business — reshaping how you operate, deliver value, and engage with employees, partners and passengers. Ask yourself:

• Is there a digital target picture and how is digitalization embedded into the business strategy?

Digital maturity is not an add-on or pure IT project, but it must serve the broader vision. A clear digital target picture provides direction and prevents the organization from chasing every emerging trend. When digitalization is not embedded within the overall business strategy, it becomes reactive rather than strategic — resulting in isolated initiatives with limited impact.

• What is the current digital maturity status and how does it compare to best practice?

A clear baseline is essential to decide where pain points exist and where to focus first. Benchmarking against best practices provides valuable perspectives on strengths and gaps. Many organizations over or underestimate their digital maturity which can lead to misaligned expectations.

• Is there a structured roadmap and are culture, people and leadership aligned to drive digital adoption – and not just technological advancements?

Many organizations have bold ambitions but lack a clear sequence of steps. Resources are limited and prioritization ensures focus on deploying resources with the greatest business impact. A structured roadmap creates transparency, alignment and momentum. Leadership commitment and role-modeling are critical to embed digital ways of working. Culture change is not optional but essential.

In a world buzzing with AI, biometrics, and digital twins, clarity is key. A Digital Maturity Assessment helps to pause, evaluate and plan strategically. While not a new concept, Digital Maturity Assessments have proven effective across the aviation sector and in other industries in evaluating digital capabilities, uncovering improvement opportunities, and defining actionable roadmaps. Lufthansa Consulting’s Digital Maturity Assessment provides a step-by-step analysis of your organization’s current digital maturity — both technologically and organizationally. Based on our five-level maturity scale, ranging from analog to fully digital, we determine your current maturity score and define an ambitious yet realistic target picture. This assessment considers internal and external factors, as well as micro and macroeconomic influences. From there, we support you in:

• Identifying organizational, process, and technology pain points and improvement potential
• Developing a roadmap and structured action plan with quick wins and strategic initiatives.

The Digital Maturity Assessment enables your organization to pinpoint gaps relative to the target state, define actionable next steps, and prioritize improvement areas.

Our methodology of digital maturity assessments in the aviation sector has demonstrated its effectiveness at Salzburg Airport and among national carriers in Africa and Central Asia.

Given the dynamic industrial pace, regular status checks are recommended to realign your way forward. Whether you’re just starting your digital journey or refining a mature strategy, Lufthansa Consulting helps you turn digital ambition into measurable impact.