Key Points
- Glasgow Airport has selected three technology firms—Beam Connectivity, Createc, and Wordnerds—to pilot new artificial intelligence, robotics, and connectivity solutions.
- The trials are being delivered in partnership with Connected Places Catapult as part of the Connected Airport Living Lab initiative to modernise operations and elevate passenger experience.
- Beam Connectivity will test its Connectivity as a Service (CaaS) internet of things (IoT) platform to track critical infrastructure and ground support assets in real time.
- Createc will trial continuous environmental sensing and robotics technology designed to monitor ambient conditions and infrastructure health, such as lifts, escalators, and security scanners.
- Wordnerds will deploy an AI-driven natural language processing platform to aggregate passenger sentiment and feedback across multiple touchpoints to provide real-time operational insights.
- The initiative aims to reduce terminal delays, cut maintenance downtime, lower operational costs, and streamline the end-to-end journey for millions of passengers.
Glasgow (Glasgow Express) October 13, 2026 – Three technology companies have been selected to trial advanced artificial intelligence, robotics, and connectivity systems at Glasgow Airport in a major drive to streamline airport management and improve the journey for travellers.
As reported by Glasgow Times reporter Craig Williams, the trial involves Beam Connectivity, Createc, and Wordnerds, whose innovations were chosen as part of the Connected Airport Living Lab project delivered alongside Connected Places Catapult. The pilots are designed to test real-world applications that monitor key airport assets, track passenger feedback, and optimise ground operations.
As reported by Connected Places Catapult, the trials focus on addressing critical operational bottlenecks, ensuring higher reliability for terminal machinery, and giving operations management continuous visibility over passenger satisfaction and asset status.
Under the Living Lab framework, the three selected firms will deploy their proprietary systems directly into Glasgow Airport’s live operational environment. Beam Connectivity is introducing its Connectivity as a Service (CaaS) platform to deliver real-time data on critical airport assets. The solution monitors the health and performance of critical infrastructure and ground support equipment—such as ground power units, baggage systems, and pushback vehicles—enabling engineering teams to detect technical faults early, schedule predictive maintenance, and reduce operational downtime.
In parallel, technology firm Createc is trailing advanced environmental sensing and robotics applications across the terminal estate. Createc’s technology tracks the physical performance and operational conditions of heavily used airport assets, including escalators, passenger lifts, luggage scanners, and parking barriers. By collecting continuous diagnostic data, airport engineers can address mechanical strain or component degradation before asset failure causes delays to passenger flow.
The third firm involved in the scheme, Wordnerds, is deploying an artificial intelligence platform focused on passenger sentiment analysis. As reported by Connected Places Catapult, Wordnerds will build bespoke AI models trained on live passenger feedback, operational records, social media channels, interactive voice systems, and formal complaint channels. The system produces real-time experience scores, highlights sentiment trends, and sends early warning alerts to airport management teams, allowing frontline staff to intervene promptly during operational disruptions.
As stated by representatives from Connected Places Catapult, the trials demonstrate how emerging technologies can be deployed directly into live aviation environments to build more resilient infrastructure and deliver smoother, more reliable passenger journeys.
What Is the Background of Glasgow Airport’s Connected Living Lab Initiative?
The deployment of these three technological trials represents the latest stage in a broader digital transformation program across Glasgow Airport and the wider AGS Airports group, which also operates Aberdeen and Southampton airports. In recent years, regional and hub airports across the United Kingdom have faced increasing pressure to manage growing passenger volumes, mitigate operational bottlenecks, and maintain aging terminal infrastructure without significantly inflating operational overheads.
To address these industry challenges, Glasgow Airport partnered with Connected Places Catapult—the UK’s innovation accelerator for cities, transport, and place leadership—to establish the Connected Airport Living Lab. The Living Lab serves as a real-world testbed, allowing small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and technology innovators to pilot high-tech solutions within a busy operational environment.
Previous phases of the initiative have already yielded measurable operational benefits. Earlier trials tested digital twin models to monitor road traffic flows around Glasgow Airport, achieving a 94 percent accuracy rate in predicting arrival times for passengers travelling by private vehicle and taxi. Similarly, the airport piloted an AI-powered conversational digital assistant, known as ‘Hello Airport’, developed alongside Hello Lamp Post. That system resulted in a 50 percent reduction in routine queries directed to frontline staff, saving over 400 staff days per year and allowing airport personnel to focus on passengers requiring dedicated, in-person support.
By expanding the Living Lab framework to cover asset monitoring, Internet of Things (IoT) ground connectivity, and advanced natural language processing, Glasgow Airport is establishing a comprehensive digital framework aimed at converting raw operational data into actionable insights.
How Will This Technology Trial Affect Passengers, Airport Operations, and the Aviation Sector?
The implementation of these cutting-edge trials is expected to have a direct impact on several key stakeholder groups, ranging from everyday travellers to engineering teams and airport commercial managers.
Impact on Passengers
For the millions of travellers passing through Glasgow Airport annually, the integrated technology trials are designed to create a significantly smoother and less stressful journey. Real-time feedback monitoring via Wordnerds means passenger complaints regarding queue times, cleanliness, or security choke points can be flagged and addressed in minutes rather than days. Concurrently, the predictive maintenance systems powered by Beam Connectivity and Createc reduce the likelihood of out-of-service escalators, malfunctioning baggage belts, or broken security scanners, minimizing unexpected queues and physical accessibility barriers across the terminal estate.
Impact on Airport Staff and Operational Engineering
Frontline customer service agents and engineering support staff stand to gain substantial efficiency improvements. Rather than responding reactively to mechanical breakdowns or sudden surges in passenger dissatisfaction, maintenance teams will receive automated early warnings via CaaS and robotic sensing networks. This shifts operations from reactive firefighting to planned maintenance, allowing engineers to service machinery during off-peak hours and reducing urgent maintenance calls during peak travel times.
Impact on UK Tech Innovators and the Aviation Industry
For the technology companies involved—Beam Connectivity, Createc, and Wordnerds—the Living Lab trials provide vital commercial validation. Demonstrating software and hardware capabilities within a major regulated airport environment allows these UK tech firms to prove scalability, refine their products against real aviation data, and potentially export their solutions to international airports facing similar operational constraints. If successful, the trial models developed at Glasgow Airport are expected to be evaluated for wider rollout across other UK regional transport hubs.
