iGA Istanbul Airport is hosting the eighth annual ACI World Airport Experience Summit from Aug. 31 to Sept. 4. The five-day event sees global leaders in aviation meet with customer experience experts and travel professionals to celebrate the best global airports for customer experience.
Airport Experience: The New Era
This year’s theme is Airport Experience: The New Era, and will focus on human-centred travel experience. Topics on the agenda include hospitality and how airports are increasingly placing people at the focal point of their operations, as well as wider corporate culture and service provision.
Speaking of the event, ACI World Director General Justin Erbacci commented:
“As global passenger traffic is forecast to nearly double over the next two decades, building and investing in new infrastructure remains essential. However, our future also relies on infusing those spaces with genuine hospitality. As an industry, we are increasingly designing around human needs and wellbeing, moving beyond simply processing people to truly understanding them.”
Gala and Awards Ceremony
A highlight of the event is the Gala and Awards Ceremony taking place on the Sept. 2, 2026, where over 100 top-performing airports will be recognised through ASQ Customer Experience Awards and Customer Experience Accreditations.
iGA Istanbul Airport CEO Selahattin Bilgen said:
It is a pleasure to welcome the global aviation community to iGA Istanbul Airport for the Airport Experience Summit, in partnership with ACI World. As Europe’s busiest airport by passenger volume, passenger experience remains at the heart of our vision. Understanding how passengers travel, interact and feel throughout their journey guides how we design, operate and continuously evolve our services to meet the needs of travellers from around the world.
In addition to the ceremony, other focal points of the summit include:
- A Keynote address by Florent Bayle-Labouré, Chief of Staff and Strategy at Cirque du Soleil, on crafting meaningful emotional experiences at scale;
- Talks from over 60 industry-leading speakers discussing such topics as enhancing employee experiences, reducing stress for travellers, improving navigation through wayfinding, promoting accessibility, integrating local culture and identity, and leveraging technology to create more seamless experiences;
- Customer Experience Workshops featuring distinctive insights from Cirque du Soleil;
- The Talent and Growth Seminar.
How do you think airports can improve the customer experience for travellers? Share your opinions in the comment section below.
