AI@Fraport

With the AI@Fraport initiative, the Fraport Group is positioning itself at the forefront of the digital transformation. It is taking advantage of AI to make processes more efficient and redesign work environments. The overarching goal is to make Fraport fit for the future while increasing the satisfaction of airlines and passengers and innovatively supporting employees.

The initiative is organized in various core areas, each of which has a different focus – for example, on the administrative and operational use of AI or addressing basic aspects like defining ethical principles. Each area is devoted to strengthening the group’s digital competencies and optimizing the widely ranging business processes involved.

As an important component of the “Fraport.2030” strategy, AI@Fraport demonstrates the group’s commitment to ensuring topnotch performance globally. Fraport takes challenges like the current shortage of qualified workers and customers’ increasing expectations very seriously and strives to meet them with creative solutions. Teamwork across departments and divisions promotes group-wide sharing of information and collaboration with various partners to develop practical AI solutions.

This initiative is driving innovative solutions by focusing on AI and integrating it worldwide in Fraport AG’s multifaceted processes. In this way, the group is paving the way for intelligently networked airport operations in the future.

Fraport has already been intensively addressing ethical issues in connection with the use of AI systems since 2021. And in 2024, the group became one of the first in our industry to establish binding worldwide principles. These are now the basis for all AI activities.

Principles

At Fraport, we ensure that human actions always take precedence when using AI applications. Human supervision is essential to prevent AI from overpowering humans. We also ensure that an AI system can be switched off at any time.

Our aim is to retain employees in our company, especially in the current labor shortage. Therefore, we continuously evaluate to which extent job profiles may change as a result of AI solutions and train our employees accordingly for new tasks at an early stage. The use of AI systems should serve the welfare of our company and its employees by simplifying the work for our employees without fully replacing them. Any form of monitoring of worker performance or behavior using AI is prohibited.

At Fraport, we establish clear responsibilities for the planning, development, and deployment of AI systems. This means that we determine who bears the legal responsibility and liability for each AI application and its effects.

We also take responsibility for creating a suitable data foundation for AI applications. We recognize the importance of high data quality for the development and use of AI systems. Those responsible for an individual system ensure that this feature is guaranteed both when launching a new system and when operating it on an ongoing basis.

At Fraport, we are committed to a high level of transparency. This in turn will retain the trust of our customers and employees, which is one of our top priorities. We always communicate clearly about the objectives and functionality of the respective AI applications.

Likewise, we ensure that all users are aware when a system relies on AI technology.

At Fraport, we are aware of the high safety and security requirements in aviation. The relevant regulations must always be complied with – also when deploying AI systems. Therefore, we only use safe, robust, and reliable AI applications.

We take appropriate measures to ensure that our AI solutions meet the highest level of reliability. We also protect all AI systems from unauthorized access and misuse, ensuring at all times the security of the systems and the data they contain.

At Fraport, we recognize the importance of diversity, fairness, and non-discrimination also with regard to the use of AI-based systems and we remain fully committed to these values. The AI technology we use must not disadvantage any person based on their cultural, religious, or gender background.

We act in a values-based manner and always assess whether the effects of an AI system are in harmony with our corporate values. The AI systems we deploy are subject both to our internal guidelines and the applicable laws and regulations.

At Fraport, we respect the privacy of our employees, partners and customers. Therefore, all information subject to data protection requirements is processed strictly in accordance with the corresponding privacy laws and regulations.

We ensure full compliance with data protection regulations throughout the entire lifecycle of an AI application. We do not collect personal data without a specific reason. We disclose how data is used and inform users about their options to decide how their data is further processed.

At Fraport, we see sustainability as core to our future viability. Therefore, we are committed to developing and deploying sustainable AI systems which promote the ecological, social, and economic well-being of our customers and employees.

We also regard the use of AI as an important component of our decarbonization strategy. AI can be used to support our goal of achieving carbon-free operations across all Group companies worldwide by 2045 at the latest. We are therefore focusing on resource-saving and energy-efficient AI systems to ensure that the efficiency gains from AI reduce (rather than increase) resource consumption.

At Fraport, we empower our employees to use AI and promote their understanding of AI through active dialog. To this end, we highlight the opportunities associated with AI applications without neglecting the potential risks.

We rely on open and understandable communication about the use of AI by involving all those involved in the process. Furthermore, we actively participate in the ethical discourse concerning AI with other organizations and continuously work on further developing our own ethical principles.