Geneva – The International Air Transport Association (IATA) announced that the 2019 Global Airport & Passenger Symposium (GAPS) will focus on the theme of building capacity for the future.

“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.

GAPS 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.

GAPS will be held in Warsaw, Poland, 15 -17 October 2019. In addition to Mr. 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
• Balancing Technology and the Human Factor

View the full agenda.

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’.