The World Aviation Festival has introduced a dedicated Airport & Airline Collaboration Track at its 2026 event, which takes place between 13-15 October in Lisbon. The programme examines how airports and airlines build joint operational resilience and enable seamless travel for passengers. Perspectives from border management, ground handlers, and technology providers form part of the track.
Daniel Boyle, General Manager of Transport at WAF organiser Terrapinn, will outline how airlines and airports face many of the same pressures, but too often they are still trying to solve them in isolation, and meaningful collaboration between the two has never been more important. A panel on digital identity infrastructure will consider the role of standards including IATA One ID and ICAO Digital Travel Credentials, and whether passengers expect to travel end-to-end without a traditional passport by 2030. Panellists will include Maurice Jenkins from Miami International Airport, Amin Lalani from Delta Air Lines, Vladimir Stojkovski from CLEAR, and Lisette Looren de Jong from the Dutch Ministry of Justice and Security.
Another session explores how airports, airlines and ground handlers move beyond parallel responses and build joint operational resilience. Attendees will hear from Istvan Szabo of Berlin Brandenburg Airport, Ryan Abram of dnata, Adam Schipper of Ericsson, Chamith Seneviratne of Air Canada, and Marc-Philippe Lumpé of Air Transat. Girish Nair, COO at Bangalore International Airport, will take part in a fireside chat on how airports and airlines align their operations and commercial outcomes. WAF brings together more than 4,500 attendees and 600 speakers over three days.
