eGates in airports: A systematic literature review and future research directions

This paper offers the first systematic literature review of eGates in airports. It does so in the context of air transport research’s need to engage with wider debates concerning the design, implementation and use of digital work at airports. Moreover, it demonstrates the key contextual, methodological and thematic trends and provides future research directions. It is based on a thorough search of publications in earlier literature reviews, the Scopus database, and Google Scholar, using the PRISMA 2020 guidelines. The search revealed 258 records, with 40 publications meeting the inclusion criteria. The identified literature spans across two decades 2004-2025 and represents a multi-cultural stream of research. It includes multi-disciplinary contributions from three actors: the machine, passengers and human operators (guards). Bringing together insights from these different actors helps connect different views and fosters understanding across disciplines. Future research should strive to implement mixed method research designs, adopt extended technology acceptance conceptualisations and acknowledge the importance of the human factor in eGates design, implementation, operation and development.