Connected Places Catapult has announced three technology firms selected to trial solutions at Glasgow Airport as part of its Connected Airport Living Lab programme, which supports the testing of innovations in a live airport environment.
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Beam Connectivity, Createc and Wordnerds will each receive up to £30,000 in funding, alongside commercial support and access to airport facilities, to test technologies addressing challenges identified by Glasgow Airport around asset performance, real-time understanding of passenger sentiment and the analysis of feedback from sources including social media and formal complaints.
Beam Connectivity will trial its Connectivity as a Service platform, which uses real-time data to monitor the condition and performance of airport assets. The system is intended to help engineering teams identify problems earlier, improve maintenance and reduce disruption involving equipment such as lifts, escalators and passenger-facing infrastructure.
Createc will test Situate, a system that combines anonymous LiDAR movement data with passenger feedback to assess how queues, crowding and movement affect the airport experience. It is designed to provide airport teams with live indicators of passenger experience and early warnings of potential pressure points.
Wordnerds will use natural language processing and machine learning to analyse passenger feedback from different sources alongside operational data. The trial will explore how artificial intelligence and automated reporting can identify the factors influencing passenger satisfaction and provide actionable information to airport teams.
Now in its fourth year, the Connected Airport Living Lab is intended to help technology businesses demonstrate the operational and commercial potential of their products, with the aim of supporting wider adoption across the UK airport sector.
The programme is run by Connected Places Catapult with Glasgow Airport and support from Innovate UK. The latest trials are scheduled to run from now until January 2027
Gavin Birch-Williams, managing director of Glasgow Airport, said Glasgow Airport has become a proving ground for innovative technologies that can solve real operational challenges while improving the passenger experience.
Sameer Savani, Transport Managing Director at Connected Places Catapult added, “Operational excellence is an ever-evolving challenge for airports and innovation is crucial to meeting customer standards and needs.
“We are pleased to partner with Glasgow Airport once again for this programme and welcome three fantastic companies from across the UK to trial their exciting solutions to improve asset performance and enhance passenger experience in a live airport environment.”
The programme has previously supported trials involving passenger information and accessibility technologies. In 2024, companies tested solutions including AI-based assistance, augmented reality and automated sign-language announcements at Glasgow Airport.