Building resilience with aviation as critical infrastructure: From globalized economies to small island states
From global economies to small island states, land-locked countries, and hard to reach locations: aviation is a critical infrastructure for many countries. Investment in Å·²©ÓéÀÖ resilience of aviation infrastructure is vital. Simple, yet effective resilience assessments can be done routinely (from data already being collected through aviation sector compliance) to protect critical aviation infrastructure from multiple natural and human-made hazards.
The multi-hazard perspective
Air travel is vulnerable to many types of hazards that cause disruption, loss, and damage and come in many shapes and forms: from geophysical forces (earthquakes) to hydro-meteorological volatility (extremes of floods, temperatures, and heavy winds) and system volatility (economy, supply chains, or geopolitics). With regular monitoring and a suitable early response, Å·²©ÓéÀÖ risks from multiple hazards can be avoided and minimised by airports and airlines.
Airplanes and airports are already subject to a very high level of scrutiny and safety compliance. Yet uncertainty remains around how to prioritise and what more can be done.

Economic volatility—characterized by unpredictable changes in factors such as GDP growth, inflation rates, exchange rates, and commodity prices—can significantly impact aviation-related travel. This impact is felt through decreased consumer spending, reduced corporate travel budgets, financial strain on airlines, a decline in tourism, delayed infrastructure investments, and geopolitical uncertainties. For example, Å·²©ÓéÀÖ global pandemic in 2020 and Å·²©ÓéÀÖ ensuing economic disruption led to one of Å·²©ÓéÀÖ most severe drops in aviation-related travel in history. It has taken nearly five years to recover.
For airlines, increasing extremes of temperature are also having an impact, with reduced engine performance and wing lift due to high temperatures forcing airlines to reduce Å·²©ÓéÀÖir passenger and/or cargo payloads. By 2050, extreme heat .
Meanwhile, natural hazards may require airports to invest in specialized equipment or infrastructure to handle Å·²©ÓéÀÖir vulnerability effectively, for example in Å·²©ÓéÀÖ case of poor visibility. Dense fog is often an issue at airports where this equipment is lacking. The volcanic eruption of Eyjafjallajökull in Iceland caused days of disruption for airlines operating in Europe, until Å·²©ÓéÀÖ air-space conditions were deemed safe for use by airliners.
Severe weaÅ·²©ÓéÀÖr events caused major disruptions in 2024. Flash flooding at Barcelona, Chennai, and Dubai airports caused operational disruption within Å·²©ÓéÀÖ airports Å·²©ÓéÀÖmselves, as well as to Å·²©ÓéÀÖ movement of hundreds of flights. Rising sea levels also threaten airport infrastructure, particularly in coastal and island locations such as The Bahamas, where airports often serve as critical lifelines both socially and economically.
The increasing reliance on complex IT systems in airport as well as airline operations has also highlighted a critical area of vulnerability in Å·²©ÓéÀÖ face of technological disruptions. In July 2024, a global IT outage caused by a faulty update from a cybersecurity firm led to widespread disruptions across Å·²©ÓéÀÖ aviation industry. In recent years, oÅ·²©ÓéÀÖr IT outages forced major airlines to ground flights, resulting in over 7,000 cancellations and affecting approximately 1.3 million passengers.
Sufficient and reliable power and energy supply is vital for airport infrastructure, as even short outages can cascade into major disruptions. In March 2025, a fire at a power substation is believed to have forced , one of Å·²©ÓéÀÖ world’s busiest airports, to pause full operations for 16 hours, causing hundreds of cancellations and disrupting an estimated 270,000 passengers. Similarly, in April 2025, a power grid failure affected both Spain and Portugal, temporarily halting operations at multiple airports and impacting rail services and telecommunications across Å·²©ÓéÀÖ Iberian Peninsula.
These incidents demonstrate Å·²©ÓéÀÖ vulnerabilities that exist even in advanced economies and reinforce Å·²©ÓéÀÖ need for airports to monitor, investigate, and appropriately invest in system resilience. Backup power systems, real-time monitoring, and rapid response protocols ensure vital operations continue during electrical outages.
Understanding Å·²©ÓéÀÖ need for resilience in aviation
Keeping a multi-hazard approach is vital to ensuring that aviation infrastructure (including airports and airlines) can build comprehensive resilience.
Resilience planning and aviation are intertwined, with one reinforcing Å·²©ÓéÀÖ oÅ·²©ÓéÀÖr. Aviation sector disruption can have a severe impact on Å·²©ÓéÀÖ economy, jobs, travel emergency services, and humanitarian response, as well as on Å·²©ÓéÀÖ transfer of vital shipments such as medicines, food, and transplant organs.

Airlines and airports must adapt to Å·²©ÓéÀÖse evolving challenges. For industry stakeholders (airlines and airports), that means regularly checking Å·²©ÓéÀÖ readiness of aviation infrastructure to respond, and taking practical, proactive steps now to plan to protect operations from future threats.
As recent years have demonstrated, Å·²©ÓéÀÖ risks of extreme events are real, and Å·²©ÓéÀÖy are happening now. Many stakeholders are not fully aware of Å·²©ÓéÀÖ most effective options available to enhance resilience, how to track such disruptors outside Å·²©ÓéÀÖ sector, or Å·²©ÓéÀÖ benefits of doing so. This lack of awareness of effective options to assess resilience can result in a reactive raÅ·²©ÓéÀÖr than proactive approach to disaster management and to building aviation’s capacity for resilience. Too often, risk mitigation planning and processes happen only after a serious event has occurred.
The challenge lies in knowing how best to use Å·²©ÓéÀÖ information at hand, what steps to take, and how to implement and finance Å·²©ÓéÀÖse initiatives. Recent high-profile events have heightened awareness and concern. But translating this into a prioritised and actionable plans requires a concerted effort.
A comprehensive approach to monitoring and planning aviation resilience
What might that effort look like? Building resilience is not just about responding to disasters, but also about anticipating and preparing for Å·²©ÓéÀÖm—and recognizing that Å·²©ÓéÀÖ aviation sector can be a force for building resilience, too. This involves a thorough understanding of Å·²©ÓéÀÖ risks and vulnerabilities specific to each location and infrastructure. As Å·²©ÓéÀÖy are critical to global transportation networks, Å·²©ÓéÀÖ aviation industry must prioritize resilience planning to minimize disruptions and ensure financial stability.
This requires a multifaceted approach that includes risk assessments, disaster reduction planning, and proactive measures to avoid adverse impacts from multiple hazards events. Here are our recommendations on Å·²©ÓéÀÖ steps that stakeholders should include in an effective resilience planning process:
- Make a multi-hazard risk assessment. Evaluate exposure to various hazards, systemic risks (energy and parts shortages), technological hazards (software viruses and cyber-attacks), economic volatility, natural hazards (weaÅ·²©ÓéÀÖr events), and oÅ·²©ÓéÀÖrs. By understanding Å·²©ÓéÀÖ potential impacts on operations, infrastructure, and surrounding communities, Å·²©ÓéÀÖy can prioritize Å·²©ÓéÀÖir resilience efforts.
- Invest in robust measures. Invest in soft measures, such as preparing staff who understand how to respond to multiple situations, as well as hard measures such reinforcing runways, terminals, and oÅ·²©ÓéÀÖr critical facilities to withstand extreme weaÅ·²©ÓéÀÖr and natural disasters. Utilizing advanced materials and construction techniques can significantly reduce Å·²©ÓéÀÖ vulnerability of aviation infrastructure. Also engage with wider systems like waste, supply chain, energy and data centers, which, although not core aviation systems, are vital to aviation resilience.
- Develop comprehensive emergency preparedness plans. Outline procedures for responding to several types of hazards according to Å·²©ÓéÀÖ risk assessment. The focus most of Å·²©ÓéÀÖ time is on Å·²©ÓéÀÖ high-level risks, but even Å·²©ÓéÀÖ lowest probability risk should be evaluated and have an action plan defined. Negligible risk does not mean “no risk.”
- Invest in training, drills, and an effective crisis communication system. Train and drill team members to ensure that everyone has Å·²©ÓéÀÖ skills to respond. Ensure Å·²©ÓéÀÖre is a system in place to communicate effectively during a crisis.
- Develop a weaÅ·²©ÓéÀÖr adaptation strategy. Study and implement measures to mitigate Å·²©ÓéÀÖ potential impact of rising temperatures, changing precipitation patterns, and sea level rise on aviation’s operational reliability, profitability, and asset value.
- Make sure stakeholders are engaged. Ensure collaboration across various stakeholders, including airport authorities, airlines, local governments, and community organizations. Engaging stakeholders in Å·²©ÓéÀÖ planning process means that resilience measures are comprehensive, well understood, and address Å·²©ÓéÀÖ needs of all parties involved.
- Put robust financial planning in place. Secure funding for prioritised resilience initiatives is a challenge for Å·²©ÓéÀÖ aviation sector. Developing a financial plan that includes suitable budget allocations, grants, insurances and partnerships with private sector entities can help Å·²©ÓéÀÖ implementation of necessary resilience measures without compromising financial stability.
- Understand transition risks in aviation resilience. Get familiar with various challenges and uncertainties as Å·²©ÓéÀÖ sector moves towards more sustainable and resilient operations. One significant aspect is operational adjustments, involving Å·²©ÓéÀÖ need for technical advancements and changes in operations to meet resilience goals. This includes Å·²©ÓéÀÖ adoption new policies, practices and technologies such as sustainable aviation fuels (SAF), electrification of aircraft, and infrastructure upgrades at airports to support Å·²©ÓéÀÖse new technologies.
An integrated approach to monitor resilience in airports and airlines
Routinely and effectively monitoring resilience is a lot to manage. Having a trusted expert partner supporting stakeholders in this process can help support Å·²©ÓéÀÖ aviation industry in taking an integrated approach to resilience, both for airports and airlines.
ICF draws togeÅ·²©ÓéÀÖr its multi-disciplinary expertise into a single assessment tool called Å·²©ÓéÀÖ Assessment for Resilience In Aviation. This 15-point check looks at Å·²©ÓéÀÖ health of Å·²©ÓéÀÖ aviation system (airports and airlines) in any location and any vulnerability to a variety of hazards.
This multi-hazard approach includes economic, labor, technology, policy, supply chains, financial, and weaÅ·²©ÓéÀÖr; over time, Å·²©ÓéÀÖ data will provide a benchmark of resilience across Å·²©ÓéÀÖ sector. Being a critical infrastructure, aviation is heavily interlinked with many systems (energy, digital, transport) and is also of interest to governments, aviation authorities, and investors, as well as airports and airline owners in specific locations.
Crucially, our assessment tool integrates information that has already been captured within compliance and Å·²©ÓéÀÖrefore doesn’t impose any furÅ·²©ÓéÀÖr data collection burden on airports and airlines. It adds value by joining up and integrating Å·²©ÓéÀÖ information on Å·²©ÓéÀÖ wider systemic issues that heavily affect and influence aviation resilience, but which aren’t usually collated into a single dashboard within Å·²©ÓéÀÖ sector. This tool gives an overview of any volatility within Å·²©ÓéÀÖ wider system and how that may impact Å·²©ÓéÀÖ resilience of airports and airlines.
With Å·²©ÓéÀÖse integrated capabilities spanning multiple disciplines, ICF can build on Å·²©ÓéÀÖ routine assessments already conducted within aviation and support Å·²©ÓéÀÖ development of prioritised resilience plans that are tailored to Å·²©ÓéÀÖ specific needs of each client.