Expansion doesn't pause operations. But it can make them harder. Gates close. Terminals shrink. Check-in areas get handed to construction crews. Yet passenger numbers keep climbing. For airports across APAC and the Middle East, this is the sliding block challenge; managing growth while major infrastructure builds around you. Drawing on examples from across the region, this session looks at how operational technology is helping airports get more from constrained infrastructure during the years it takes to build the gates, terminals and taxiways of tomorrow. Smarter planning, better forecasting, faster recovery, underpinned by better data.

• The power of lidar; how granular insight into micro-moments of flow and processing can increase security throughput
• Tackling space limitations; using live forecasts to optimize resource allocation and capacity at check-in, security, border control, gates and baggage reclaim
• Connecting flight and passenger systems improves decision-making, increases resilience and enables more proactive, coordinated airport operations
• Lessons learned from aligning technology strategy with long-term infrastructure goals