Alexandre de Juniac, IATA’s Director General and CEO
Building additional capacity for the fast growing number of air passengers in future and enhancing alignment across the aviation industry will be the major focus discussion at the upcoming 2019 Global Airport & Passenger Symposium (GAPS).
The Symposium, to be held in Warsaw, Poland, from October 15-17, is being organised by the International Air Transport Association (IATA) which represents some 290 airlines comprising 82 percent of global air traffic.
“More people want to fly. And the needs and expectations of travelers—new and old—are constantly evolving. Keeping pace with these demands is a challenge for the aviation industry. We are focused on safety, so careful planning is critical. We are highly regulated based on global standards which involve multiple stakeholders. And our sustainability commitments add further necessary rigor to aviation’s progress. Building the capacity for the future needs alignment across the industry,” said Alexandre de Juniac, IATA’s Director General and CEO, who will deliver keynote remarks at the event.
The event will build critical alignment with a focus on three key areas of transformation: Seamless Journey: Biometric technology is enabling a new travel experience for passengers. Ensuring there is regulation in place to support the vision of a paperless travel experience and passengers who are confident that their data is protected is a priority.
Transforming Airports: Moving more airport processes off-site, enhancing deployment of artificial intelligence and robotics and improving data-sharing between stakeholders is increasing efficiency and use of existing capacity. Planning is crucial to developing the optimal airport.
World of Interactive Data: The real-time exchange of operational data is enabling collaborative decision-making and creating business opportunities to serve customers better.
In addition to de Juniac, the opening plenary will feature an address by Rafal Milczarski, CEO, LOT Polish Airlines and David Rowan, Founding Editor-in-Chief, WIRED magazine.
Other highlights of GAPS will include: economic and passenger outlook; results of IATA’S 2019 global passenger survey; spotlight on delivering a seamless and data-driven experience to passengers; building a seamless journey for passengers with reduced mobility and disabilities; designing and developing an optimal airport; and balancing technology and the human factor.
In addition, a GAPS Start-up Village will be introduced and the NEXTT Bootcamp which will focus on human interaction with new technologies will return for a second year. For the first time ever, a session will be held on ‘Designing your Passengers’ Journey’.
