- IATA WSOC 2026 takes place 6-8 October in Istanbul
- Theme is Performance Through People focusing on human elements
- Speakers include Turkish Airlines, EASA, FAA and Boeing executives
- Four conference tracks cover Safety, Cabin Operations, Operations and Crisis Management
- IATA represents over 370 airlines and 85pc of global air traffic
The International Air Transport Association has revealed that the 2026 World Safety and Operations Conference will focus on the human elements in keeping aviation safe and resilient under the theme Performance Through People. The conference will take place from 6-8 October in Istanbul, Türkiye, hosted by Turkish Airlines. Nick Careen, IATA’s Senior Vice President for Operations, Safety and Security, has stated that as technology, data, AI and automation transform how aviation manages risk, this year’s WSOC will focus on the people who use these tools every day to make critical decisions.
Speakers will include Ahmet Olmuştur, CEO and Member of the Executive Committee at Turkish Airlines, Florian Guillermet, Executive Director at the European Union Aviation Safety Agency, Jodi Baker, Deputy Associate Administrator for Aviation Safety at the Federal Aviation Administration, and Don Ruhmann, Senior Vice President and Chief Aerospace Safety Officer at Boeing. Four conference tracks of Safety, Cabin Operations, Operations and Crisis Management will explore the conference theme in detail, with highlights including geopolitical risk and its impact on people performance, human-centred safety, and future-proofing aviation safety talent.
The WSOC programme will be complemented by a series of workshops and forums including Connecting People through Safety, Airspace Efficiency and Resilience, Advancing Safety Insights with GADM, Emergency Response Planning Forum and the IATA Turbulence Aware Forum. IATA represents over 370 airlines accounting for some 85pc of global air traffic. The conference is open to accredited members of the press.
Nick Careen, IATA’s Senior Vice President for Operations, Safety and Security, shared: “As technology, data, AI and automation transform how aviation manages risk, this year’s WSOC will focus on the people who use these tools every day to make critical decisions in response to disruption. They need the right skills and support to make the best use of the technologies we are investing in. WSOC brings safety professionals together to share experience, learn from one another and address these challenges.”
