IATA’s Macao Event Explores Air Travel’s Next Era

Sandrine Le Borgne, IATA’s Interim Director General, Senior Vice President, Corporate Services, and CFO, said the priority is turning the potential of these technologies into real value.

Booking a flight, making a payment and moving through an airport are everyday parts of travel that airlines are looking to improve through digital technology. The International Air Transport Association (IATA) will bring these connected experiences into focus at its joint World Financial Symposium (WFS) and World Passenger Symposium (WPS), taking place on 28–29 October 2026 in Macao (SAR), China. Under the theme 'From Vision to Value: The Next Era of Air Travel,' the gathering will bring together leaders in airline retailing, finance and passenger experience to examine how innovation can deliver practical benefits.

Turning Technology Into Better Travel

Artificial intelligence, digital identity, modern airline retailing and new payment solutions will sit at the centre of discussions about improving journeys and strengthening airline businesses. Sandrine Le Borgne, IATA's Interim Director General, Senior Vice President, Corporate Services, and CFO, said the priority is turning the potential of these technologies into real value. Leaders from finance, commercial, operations and customer experience teams will examine what is producing results, where difficulties remain and how airlines can move useful innovations into everyday operations.

The opening programme will feature remarks from Le Borgne and Stanley Pun, President of the Civil Aviation Authority of Macao, followed by IATA's Industry Economic Outlook and findings from the 2026 IATA Global Passenger Survey. These sessions will bring the industry's financial outlook and travellers' expectations into the same conversation, providing context for discussions about business performance, operational efficiency, resilience and the passenger journey.

Three Tracks Connect Booking, Payments and Airports

The Retail and Distribution track will examine how airlines are putting "Offers and Orders" into practice, a shift in how they present travel options and manage purchases. Lessons from airline implementations will help ground the discussion in operational experience, with attention to how artificial intelligence could support more relevant offers and customer experiences. The focus will be on making modern retailing work across airline systems and the services passengers use.

Financial Services and Processing sessions will cover managing volatility, protecting financial performance through hedging and risk management, and controlling payment costs. Participants will examine how financial processes need to adapt as airlines move from tickets to orders. The Passenger Experience and Accessibility track will explore wider adoption of digital identity and biometrics, improvements to border and baggage procedures, and ways to make air travel simpler and more accessible.

China's Digital Growth Takes the Spotlight

China will have a prominent place in the programme, with senior Chinese airline leaders discussing how digital innovation can support the market's established growth. Their sessions will explore modern airline retailing, Offers and Orders, and IATA's One ID initiative, connecting the country's aviation experience with broader industry questions about improving passenger processes and adopting new technology.

The speaker lineup includes Fangxing Fu, CFO of China National Aviation Holding Corporation Limited, and Tim Yu, President of Hainan Airlines Holding Co., Ltd. Joining them are Tamur Goudarzi Pour, Executive Vice President Strategy and Executive Committee member at Lufthansa Group; Nipun Aggarwal, Chief Commercial Officer at Air India; Julius Thairu, Chief Commercial and Customer Officer at Kenya Airways; and Uku Sarekanno, Deputy Executive Director at Frontex. Their participation brings airline finance, commercial strategy, customer service and border management perspectives to discussions about how a better-connected travel system can serve passengers and businesses.