Louhe study reveals how AI is best utilized to harness untapped security data to address airport insider threats

Today Louhe Ltd, a Finland-based technology company providing data-driven situational awareness for the security of cyber-physical environments, released the results of a cost and safety survey of 45 leading European airports. By combining proprietary data from Louhe’s 2024 and 2025 internal reviews with data on 45 leading European airports, the paper offers a first-of-its-kind look at both AI’s financial and operational impact in the security sector, giving airport security leaders and decision-makers insight and actionable guidance on leveraging the strategic benefits of AI in physical security.

The global security sector faces the challenge of countering increasingly costly threats, with the average cost of insider-related incidents across organizations alone rising from a global average of $8.3 million in 2018, to $17.4 million in 2024 (DTEX Cost of Insider Risk Global Report, 2025). These insider threats track the largest risks at airports emphasizing that combined cyber-physical issues represent the new age of security challenges. Although they can be addressed using existing physical infrastructure, they need more comprehensive methods to find the anomalies that go undetected by humans and combine them with the threat of cyber attacks.

“The days of the old security guard watching a bank of monitors are gone. A new level of spotting the unseen and addressing anomalies in the data is critical to keeping airports safe” said Antti Matilainen, Head of International Sales at Louhe. “Today, attacks can be initiated from the inside to enable a cyber attack or physical attacks can be enabled by cyber threats from the outside. We need systems that can combat all these areas at once,” continued Matilainen.

This whitepaper is one of the first to explore how evolving security trends and technological advancements are reshaping airport security. As airports—large, complex organizations—face an outsized impact from these shifts, airport security teams must navigate an increasingly dynamic landscape.

“Security professionals need a solid understanding of the evolving security landscape and cost structures,“ says Olli Jesperi Vuorinen, Lead Researcher for Louhe whitepaper. “By providing clear data-driven insights and real-world examples of AI's tangible benefits, this whitepaper equips security professionals with a solid understanding of how current trends translate into daily operational impact and highlights the strategic role AI can play in mitigating risks and optimizing resources. This should enable leaders from airports around the world to make informed decisions about AI integration into airport security operations."