Airports and airlines are looking to adapt to new market conditions and challenges, whilst striving to offer improved levels of customer service. To do this they continue to invest in new technologies and explore new processes. Innovation can help to gain competitive advantage, improve passenger experience, heighten security and increase operational efficiency.

Concurrent to this, government regulators and border agencies are looking to modernise and take legislate for the greater inclusion of biometrics in entry/exit programmes. Advances in digital identity, mobile verification and trusted digital travel documents have the potential to transform processes as part of new smart border programmes.

Amid a landscape of rapidly developing digital capabilities in wider society, our reports help vendors and developers, airports, airlines and government bodies track, forecast and respond to growing passenger expectations and an evolving landscape.

Our work in this sector is based on extensive primary research with leading stakeholders across the ecosystem, which is the foundation of our methodology for all of our reports and services.

The Seamless Passenger Journey in Smart Airports - 2025 (2nd Edition)

Airlines, airport operators and government agencies are facing renewed challenges in passenger handling with some markets now exceeding pre-pandemic levels. Various efforts are underway in many countries to modernise the sector, introduce more efficient passenger processing and improve capacity – all the while facing investment challenges and often operating on reduced resources.

This second edition provides analysis and discussion related to the adoption of more self-service and automation, enabled by biometrics and digital identity. Identity management, mobile integrations, improved airport IT, data handling and security, are enabling new processes and greater insight to improve the passenger experience. Challenges remain and this report assesses all of these points to provide a roadmap and highlight the potential benefits, value and identify opportunities.

Published Q2 2025

Smart Borders 2025 - The Future Evolution of Land, Sea & Air Borders

Around the world, authorities charged with managing sovereign borders are now ramping up the roll-out of digital solutions aimed at both improving and futureproofing existing authentication and recording processes.

ABC egates and immigration kiosks have been deployed for many years and are now being supplemented with biometric pods and totems for both self-service and agent-led processing of travellers. New processes utilising biometrics and digital identity are being introduced in advance of travel and at the border crossings to encompass, serve and secure land, sea and air borders.

This new report will perform a timely assessment of the borders sector, seeking to capture key developments and trends, assess the effects of each and present a reasoned, forecast outcome.

Estimated Q4 2025

Smart Airports Tracker

As an extension to our coverage of airport passenger touchpoints and related technologies, Valour’s tracker service equips subscribers with reliable biannual data on touchpoint installations around the globe. This offers our clients invaluable insight to stay on top of emerging market opportunities and competitive threats.

Hardware solutions including eGates, kiosks, pods and totems, bag drop units and associated identity management platforms are tracked across nearly 4,000 airports globally.

Ongoing Subscription Service

NEW: The Future of Advanced Air Mobility - 2025

This inaugural report will delve into the dynamic landscape of Advanced Air Mobility (AAM), exploring the main drivers and inhibitors of the market’s future growth, as well as current and anticipated use cases for eVTOL aircraft. The analysis will span the entirety of AAM, examining key topics such as technological advancements, regulatory frameworks, public acceptance, and requisite enabling infrastructure.

 

Estimated Q4 2025

Satellite D2D: Its Role in Commercial Applications - 2026

Satellite Direct-to-Device (D2D) connectivity is reshaping the future of global communications. It is rapidly emerging as one of the most transformative opportunities in the satellite sector. By allowing smartphones and IoT devices to link directly with satellites, D2D offers a solution to ongoing coverage gaps while unlocking entirely new markets. A wave of new partnerships, business models, and applications is taking shape to capture growing demand.

With spectrum and regulation evolving, and momentum building, the window is open. Industry players must act now to refine strategy, gain advantage, and influence the future of universal connectivity.

This brand-new study from Valour Consultancy will explore the transformation of commercial D2D technologies, identifying the companies, technologies and strategies best positioned to lead this rapidly emerging market. It will provide a 10-year market outlook, detailing assumption, future trends and forecasts out to 2034.

Estimated Q1 2026

NEW REPORT: The Future of Airport Security & Baggage Solutions

Airports and national agencies are upgrading the solutions deployed for the screening of travellers and handling their baggage in an effort to improve efficiency, security and the passenger experience.

New scanning technologies and improved infrastructure are driving investment, with more companies looking to leverage their expertise to deliver improvements and overcome traditional bottlenecks.

Software platforms will use the data generated to clear travellers, process and track baggage and drive automated systems, with real-time intelligence to manage security, logistics, passenger flow and minimise down-time.

This report will examine the different approaches being explored, the potential for adoption of these solutions, how, where and when these opportunities will arise and the resultant market value for the associated hardware, software and maintenance.

Register your interest to discuss the scope of this proposed research in more detail.

Estimated Q2 2026

NEW REPORT: The Digitisation of Travel Authorisations, Credentials, and Visas

More governments and border agencies are adopting new digital processes to more effectively track those crossing their borders. This starts with the submission and collation of personal data in advance of travel for electronic travel authorisations (ETAs), and with the move from in-person to online eVisa applications to enter a country.

These changes can significantly improve efficiency and security, providing greater insight for authorities and enabling them to make better decisions whilst offering travellers a more convenient process.

Such modernisation requires planning and coordination across multiple departments, with many changes to be accommodated. However, a number of countries are introducing or evaluating systems with remote, digital identity verification; a key component ahead of the next phase of border control evolution: the advent of digital travel credentials (DTCs).

This report identifies the timeline for completion and categorises countries by readiness to move ahead with these digital border and travel processes.

Estimated Q2 2026

Free Transforming Travel Report - Key Takeaways From PTE 2025

This free short-form report aims to highlight, analyse and summarise the key findings, announcements and developments that were showcased at PTE in April 2025.

The report is divided into the following sections:

  • Introduction
  • Company and Industry News
  • New Product Developments​
  • An Analyst’s Opinion​
  • General Show Commentary​
  • Market Commentary​
  • Digital Travel Credentials (DTCs)​
  • Biometric Pods​
  • Partnerships and Collaborations​
  • Personalised Experience​
  • Conclusion​
  • About Us

Published Q2 2025

Free Infographic - The Seamless Passenger Journey

Self-service and automated touchpoints are forecast to account for 26% of revenues associated with the seamless passenger journey between 2020-2030. When including maintenance, contract renewals and revenues associated with supporting biometric identity management platforms and passenger processing, it becomes an estimated $8.7bn opportunity.

Our free infographic introduces some of the key findings from our 2021 report on The Seamless Passenger Journey in Smart Airports.

Published 2021