The International Air Transport Association will hold the joint World Financial Symposium and World Passenger Symposium on 28 to 29 October 2026 in Macao under the theme From Vision to Value: The Next Era of Air Travel. The event will bring together leaders from across airline retailing, finance and passenger experience. Sandrine Le Borgne, IATA’s Interim Director General, Senior Vice President Corporate Services and CFO, stated that artificial intelligence, modern airline retailing, digital identity and new payment solutions have potential to transform how airlines operate and how people experience air travel.
The symposium will open with remarks from Le Borgne and Stanley Pun, President of the Civil Aviation Authority of Macao, followed by the IATA Industry Economic Outlook and the results of the 2026 IATA Global Passenger Survey. Three specialised tracks will explore retail and distribution, financial services and processing, and passenger experience and accessibility.
China will feature prominently in the WFS and WPS programme with senior Chinese airline leaders discussing how the China market uses digital innovation, modern airline retailing, Offers and Orders, and One ID to underpin the industry’s growth trajectory. Speakers include Stanley Pun, Tim Yu of Hainan Airlines Holding, Tamur Goudarzi Pour of Lufthansa Group, Nipun Aggarwal of Air India and Julius Thairu of Kenya Airways.
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Sandrine Le Borgne, IATA’s Interim Director General, Senior Vice President Corporate Services and CFO, shared: “Artificial intelligence, modern airline retailing, digital identity, and new payment solutions have enormous potential to transform how airlines operate and how people experience air travel. Turning that potential into real value drives the WFS/WPS agenda. Airline leaders from across finance, commercial, operations, and customer experience will explore what is delivering results today, where challenges remain, and how the industry can accelerate innovation to improve the passenger journey while strengthening business performance, efficiency, and resilience.”
