Impact of international organizations digitalization programs on air transport sustainability: The IATA case

In this dissertation, the link between digitalization and sustainability is assessed. For that purpose, five digitalization programs managed by the IATA (International Air Transport Association) are studied to confirm which of their digitalization technologies and tools impact sustainability. Based on the obtained results, a semantic network is delivered, highlighting the tools and technologies which are most present i the digitalization programs under assessment, which business capabilities are improved, enhancing various business objectives, and impacting sustainability. Five technologies and tools are identified (Artificial Intelligence, Big Data, Data Sharing, Integrated Connectivity and Process Mining) along with three business capabilities (Automatization, Decision Making and Knowledge) and four business objectives (Customer Satisfaction, Safety & Security, Efficiency and Transparency). Additionally, the management approach to IATA digitalization programs is studied to confirm which project management knowledge areas and program management performance domains are considered more critical for the success of the digitalization programs and, consequently, positively impact each of the three TBL sustainability dimensions. Finally, based on the obtained results, a framework to improve the impact on sustainability of the digitalization programs is proposed and contrasted against the opinion of air transport sector experts