The APEX Future Travel Experience EMEA and Ancillary and Retailing event has taken place in Dublin from 9 to 11 June 2026, gathering air transport leaders, innovators and designers.
Virgin Atlantic’s chief customer and marketing officer delivered a keynote, with awards recognising airlines including Ryanair and airports for ancillary retailing excellence.
The gathering focused on reimagining passenger experience, digital transformation and the future of hospitality in aviation, positioning Ireland as a hub for industry dialogue. Key takeaways from the event:
- AI and agentic AI as transformative forces: Sessions and keynotes, including Virgin Atlantic CMXO Juha Jaervinen’s opening address, emphasised how AI will personalise passenger experiences, enhance retailing (pre, during and post journey), and act as the “operating system” for airlines. Agentic AI was highlighted as critical for future distribution and customer care.
- Commercial collaboration is key to growth: The exclusive launch of the Commercial Collaboration Playbook (developed with Munich Airport) provided a practical blueprint for airlines, airports and partners to work together on data sharing, innovative partnerships and integrated retailing to expand the overall revenue opportunity.
- Digital transformation and operational innovation: Dedicated tracks focused on digital excellence, automation, data sharing and human-AI collaboration. Emphasis was placed on practical case studies from airlines like Ryanair, Aer Lingus, Turkish Airlines and airports such as Fraport and Munich.
- Smart Ramp & Baggage Innovation Summit: A new dedicated programme explored automation, the autonomous ramp, baggage handling improvements, safety, efficiency and resilience on the airside.
- Next-generation retailing and ancillaries: Strong focus on personalisation, e-commerce strategies, loyalty, airport retail innovation and new business models under the theme ‘Transformative Approaches & Business Models’. Ryanair and other carriers were recognised for ancillary revenue excellence.
- Awards and industry recognition: The event featured the FTE Innovate Awards (audience-voted pitches), APEX Best™ Awards based on passenger feedback, Ancillary & Retailing Awards, and Power Lists celebrating top performers in digital transformation and commercial innovation.
- Strong emphasis on collaboration and networking: The co-located format brought together airlines, airports, tech providers and startups, reinforcing partnerships as essential for reimagining passenger experience, sustainability and operational resilience.
The event positioned Dublin as a hub for forward-thinking aviation dialogue, with practical insights on turning innovation into measurable commercial and operational benefits.
