IATA's airport symposium theme is 'building capacity for the future'

September 4, 2019: The theme for International Air Transport Association's (IATA) 2019 Global Airport & Passenger Symposium (GAPS), to be held in Warsaw, Poland in October 15 -17, 2019, will be building capacity for the future.

The Symposium will focus on three key areas of transformation - seamless journeys through ease of biometric capabilities, transformation of airports through deployment of artificial intelligence and robotics and building a world of interactive data by real-time exchange of operational data and effective collaborative decision-making.

“More people want to fly. And the needs and expectations of travelers — new and old — are constantly evolving. Keeping pace with these demands is a challenge for the aviation industry. We are focused on safety, so careful planning is critical. We are highly regulated based on global standards which involve multiple stakeholders. And our sustainability commitments add further necessary rigor to aviation’s progress. Building the capacity for the future needs alignment across the industry,” said Alexandre de Juniac, IATA’s director general and CEO, who will deliver keynote remarks at the event.

In addition to de Juniac, the opening plenary will feature an address by Rafal Milczarski, CEO, LOT Polish Airlines and David Rowan, founding editor-in-chief, WIRED magazine.

Other highlights of GAPS will include: economic and passenger outlook, results of iata's 2019 global passenger survey, spotlight on delivering a seamless and data-driven experience to passengers, building a seamless journey for passengers with reduced mobility and disabilities, designing and developing an optimal airport, balancing technology and the human factor.

At the Symposium the NEXTT Bootcamp which will focus on human interaction with new technologies will return for a second year. The GAPS Start-up Village and a session on ‘Designing your Passengers’ Journey’ will be new additions this year.