In the 3-2025 issue of Parking Trend International, an international research consortium consisting of Fraunhofer IAO, QUINTA Consulting, and a European airport presents for the first time how Artificial Intelligence (AI) can revolutionize parking management at an airport. Airports are among the sectors with the most pronounced demand peaks in parking: holiday seasons, public holidays, and major events regularly lead to capacity bottlenecks, which have so far been managed mostly through rigid pricing or manual adjustments.
The research team demonstrates how, based on extensive data – from flight movements and online reservations to holiday calendars across multiple countries – AI can generate highly accurate occupancy forecasts. An optimization model combines these predictions with insights into travelers’ willingness-to-pay and produces real-time pricing recommendations that improve both occupancy and revenue.
In addition to economic benefits, the project partners emphasize the advantages for customers: digital booking channels increase price transparency and predictability, while flexible pricing incentives enable a more efficient use of parking spaces. A subsequent pilot study will demonstrate how AI-driven pricing strategies perform in practice.