AIRWAYS INTERVIEW Christina Cassotis
And that ’ s a huge stressor for people if something goes wrong . So , yes , do I think that AI will have a profound effect on the tasks that we perform and on which ones we perform ? Certainly . But I think people are always going to be a huge part of the solution .
And I don ’ t see jobs going away as much as I see jobs changing and new jobs getting created . Repurposing , upskilling jobs . We have a massive transformation program going on because of the terminal . We ’ re bringing in lots and lots of new technology . And technology that is associated with old infrastructure .
For example , our baggage system from 35 years ago does not spit out the data that the new baggage system does . Okay , what do we do with that ? Who acts on it ? How do we now create jobs for everybody , from the maintenance folks to the folks in finance , to the folks in customer service ? What do those data enable us to do ? So , I believe strongly that technology is important . It ’ s an enabler , but it ’ s not a replacement .
About the SkyClean US Energy and sustainability in the future . Here in IATA , Willie Walsh said that the association is aiming to achieve net zero CO2 emissions by 2050 . So , how does Pittsburgh Airport start addressing this challenge ? I would say that we are right in line with Mr . Walsh ’ s vision that it is possible , and what I picked up on — and , if you give me a second , I ’ ll tell you what I wrote down , what he said . Because I remember thinking , ‘ Yes !’ He said that we need a variety of solutions .
And I believe we need a variety of solutions , which is why we have SkyClean Energy as one of the pathways , right ? So , the alcohol-to-jet process , which is a patented technology that Swedish Biofuels has . It is recruiting , I think , outside of Arlanda in Stockholm . We ’ re very excited about that .
It ’ s Corsia-certified fuel . It allows us to participate through the provision of the natural gas that is extracted on-site at Pittsburgh International Airport , as well as the region , to benefit because
www . airwaysmag . com AIRWAYS MAGAZINE NOVEMBER 2024 53