• Artificial intelligence is no longer a distant concept for aviation, it is already reshaping how the industry operates, from safety and operations to customer experience.
• But as adoption accelerates, the real question is no longer if AI will transform aviation, but how deeply and how quickly that transformation will unfold.

In her article “How Soon Will AI Revolutionise Our Industry?”, Kim Macaulay, IATA’s SVP Information and Data and Chief Information and Data Officer, offers a nuanced view on the current state of AI adoption. While some areas are advancing rapidly, others, particularly those tied to safety and regulation, require a more measured, organisational shift.

Importantly, the implications extend beyond passenger operations. As Macaulay highlights, AI is also beginning to redefine air cargo, with emerging applications such as autonomous AI agents capable of coordinating shipments, ensuring regulatory compliance, and optimising logistics flows across the global supply chain.

While much of the focus is on safety, operations, and customer experience, Macaulay also points to the growing relevance of AI in air cargo. In particular, she emphasises the potential of Agentic AI, where autonomous AI agents could coordinate shipments between shippers, freight forwarders, and carriers—ensuring compliance with complex regulations such as IATA’s Dangerous Goods Rules with minimal human intervention.

“Perhaps the most interesting current application of AI is in the realm of ‘Agentic AI’ – where AI ‘Agents’ act autonomously on our behalf to fulfil ever-more complex tasks. For example, each year, IATA publishes the Dangerous Goods Regulations – a massive document covering thousands of rules for the safe handling of goods. With Agentic AI, a freight forwarder Agent could chat to a shipper Agent and a cargo carrier Agent to arrange a shipment, and ensure it is correctly labelled and packed in accordance with the DGR rules, with only the minimum of required human oversight.”

“To those who might question if there is a safety risk, remember that as AI improves, it will progressively reduce mistakes, whereas most humans in the chain have probably already “peaked” their performance. Human oversight and accountability are vital, but humans are not infallible. In fact, machines will ultimately make fewer errors.”

She also notes that broader AI adoption across the aviation ecosystem—including airlines, airports, and ground handlers—will enhance efficiency in cargo handling, routing, and overall logistics flows.

According to Macaulay, although cost and data-sharing challenges remain, increasing computing power and industry collaboration are expected to accelerate AI adoption—unlocking significant productivity gains across both passenger and cargo operations.

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