APEX FTE EMEA and Ancillary & Retailing 2026 in pictures – exclusive Virgin Atlantic keynote, pioneering Playbook and White Paper launches, live demos, brand-new speed networking and much more
The following article was published by Future Travel Experience
The co-located APEX FTE EMEA and Ancillary & Retailing events took place in Dublin on 9 to 11 June 2026, with the theme of ‘Transformative Approaches & Business Models’. Take a look at our visual round-up of the key highlights.
The co-located APEX FTE EMEA and Ancillary & Retailing events took place at the RDS Dublin on 9 to 11 June 2026. Firmly established as the definitive event for the EMEA region, uniting digital, commercial and operational innovation across aviation, the show was delivered with the support of Headline Partners Ryanair, Enterprise Ireland, and International Airlines Group (IAG).
Under the theme of ‘Transformative Approaches & Business Models’, the event featured an end-to-end exhibition of the industry’s most progressive companies, the APEX FTE EMEA and Ancillary & Retailing conferences, Co-Creation Roundtables, meetings of the FTE Digital, Innovation & Startup Hub and FTE Baggage Innovation Working Group, plus the FTE Ancillary & Retailing Awards, the FTE EMEA Digital Transformation Power Lists, the unique FTE Innovate Awards, the APEX Best
Awards, and a fantastic social and networking programme. Among the brand-new enhancements this year were a Speed Networking Forum designed to accelerate meaningful connections between solution providers and senior airline and airport decision-makers, as well as automated kiosks to streamline onsite check-in for registered attendees, and much more. Take a look at our visual round-up of the key highlights.
Brand-new Speed Networking: Enabling rapid connections between innovators and buyers
A brand-new addition to APEX FTE EMEA and Ancillary & Retailing, the FTE Speed Networking Forum introduced a fast-paced and highly focused format designed to accelerate meaningful connections between solution providers and senior airline and airport decision-makers. The one-hour session offered participants a structured opportunity to engage in guaranteed, pre-scheduled five-minute meetings with leading industry stakeholders actively exploring innovation across ancillary, retail, digital and operational domains. The format was designed to maximise efficiency and relevance, enabling attendees to move beyond traditional networking and quickly establish direct contact with key buyers. By concentrating discussions into short, targeted exchanges, the initiative aimed to help participants clearly present their solutions, exchange contact details and lay the groundwork for future collaboration in a highly time-efficient environment. Serving as hosts for the inaugural Speed Networking Forum were representatives from Aéroports de la Côte d’Azur, Air Canada, Fraport, Heathrow, International Airlines Group, LATAM Airlines, Miami International Airport, Ryanair, SunExpress, TAP Air Portugal and Virgin Atlantic. Their involvement underscored the strong appetite across the sector for more direct, outcome-focused engagement between innovators and operators. By formalising these rapid-fire interactions within the event agenda, the Speed Networking Forum reflected a broader industry shift towards more agile, structured and results-driven approaches to partnership-building and innovation discovery within aviation.
Inspiring keynotes from Virgin Atlantic CMXO & EVP Juha Jaervinen, SimpliFlying Founder & CEO Shashank Nigam, plus Miami International Airport, daa International and more
After Welcome Addresses from Dr Joe Leader, Group CEO, APEX/FTE/IFSA, and Max Gosney, Managing Director, Future Travel Experience, the conference agenda began with an incredible exclusive opening keynote from Virgin Atlantic Chief Customer Officer (CMXO) & Executive Vice President Juha Jaervinen, who set out a forward-looking vision for how artificial intelligence (AI) will reshape airline retailing and the end-to-end passenger experience. Drawing on his longstanding role as a member of the APEX Future Travel Experience Board, he positioned AI as a tool to enhance both airline performance and customer experience, arguing that “AI should give passengers more control and airlines more precision.” Jaervinen outlined a shift from traditional “human shopping” to “machine shopping,” where always-on AI agents continuously evaluate fares, seat availability, loyalty value, disruption risk and competitor offers. In this evolving environment, Jaervinen emphasised the importance of airlines providing clear, trusted and machine-readable offers that can be confidently interpreted by both passengers and their digital agents. Far from driving a colder, more automated experience, he suggested AI should instead “disappear into better timing, better recovery, better catering, better offers and better crew support,” enabling more relevant, timely and personalised interactions across the journey. Expanding into the onboard experience, he highlighted the opportunity for AI-enabled personalisation to improve revenue performance, reduce waste and streamline operations, particularly in areas such as pre-order catering, where smarter forecasting and customer choice could significantly reduce over-provisioning. He also linked retailing and disruption management more closely than ever, arguing that AI can help airlines reattach ancillary services, present fair recovery options and rebuild trust when travel plans change. Ultimately, Jaervinen concluded that while AI will fundamentally transform how airlines plan, sell and operate, the most powerful customer experiences will still be grounded in human delivery, where technology removes friction so people can create emotion.
The Day 1 Closing Keynote Panel shared a truly insightful discussion focused on the core event theme of ‘Transformative Approaches & Business Models’. The panel – moderated by Javed Malik, Managing Director, Auj Saudi Arabia and featuring Juha Jaervinen, Chief Customer Officer (CMXO) & Executive Vice President, Virgin Atlantic; Basil A Binns, Deputy Aviation Director, Miami International Airport; Ronan O’Donoghue, General Manager – Private Terminal, daa International; and Dr Joe Leader, Group CEO, APEX/FTE/IFSA, explored how airlines, airports and industry partners are increasingly aligning around technology-driven transformation to enhance customer experience, operational efficiency and commercial performance in parallel, rather than as competing priorities. Across the discussion, panellists highlighted how organisations are responding to rapid advancements in digitalisation, automation and data-driven decision-making, with a clear focus on turning innovation into practical, scalable improvements across the end-to-end journey. Rather than adopting technology for its own sake, the emphasis was placed on targeted use cases that improve reliability, reduce friction and unlock new commercial opportunities, particularly in areas such as personalisation, disruption management and seamless passenger flows. The panel also examined the extent to which stakeholders are actively rethinking traditional aviation business models, with a shared recognition that incremental change is no longer sufficient in a market defined by shifting passenger expectations and external volatility. Airports and airlines alike are increasingly exploring more collaborative and flexible approaches to value creation, including closer alignment with partners and a stronger focus on ecosystem-based thinking. Looking ahead, the conversation addressed how the industry can better plan for a longer-term future amid uncertainty. A key theme was the need for adaptability, with organisations encouraged to build resilience into both operational and commercial strategies while remaining responsive to evolving technologies and passenger behaviours. Finally, the panel reflected on how the aviation sector could look 5 to 10 years from now, with consensus that the boundaries between airlines, airports and technology providers will continue to blur. Success will depend on balancing enhanced customer experiences with operational efficiency and commercial sustainability, underpinned by a willingness to embrace continuous transformation rather than one-off change programmes.
Day 2 opened with a compelling exclusive opening keynote from SimpliFlying Founder & CEO Shashank Nigam focused on ‘Can AI make flying magical again?’ He emphasised that agentic AI will fundamentally reshape airline distribution, determining which carriers reach travellers first and which offers are surfaced, or ignored, by autonomous digital agents. Nigam argued that AI is not simply an enhancement to retailing, but a new distribution layer where AI agents will increasingly search, compare, explain and transact on behalf of passengers, acting as intermediaries between traveller intent and airline inventory. In this context, he stressed the importance of structured, machine-readable offers and clearer commercial architecture, noting that past efforts to build airline retailing capabilities were effectively preparation for this shift. Nigam explained that in an agent-driven environment, airlines must move beyond pricing to clearly define the purpose and value of each product in traveller-centred terms. AI agents will translate intent, such as seeking the least stressful family trip or best premium economy value, into options, rewarding offers that are easy to interpret, compare and justify. Vague fare families, fragmented ancillaries and unclear bundles will be disadvantaged, while structured offers that clearly communicate benefits such as flexibility, comfort, time savings or loyalty value will be prioritised. He emphasised that all elements of the travel experience, including seating, baggage, lounge access, priority services and disruption support, will need to be consistently defined so they can be accurately interpreted by machine systems acting on behalf of customers. Linking AI retailing to airline economics, Nigam highlighted the industry’s thin margins and the importance of even small gains in conversion, efficiency and customer satisfaction. He also outlined the emergence of “agent-to-agent” commerce, where travellers’ AI assistants interact directly with airlines and other travel providers, shifting the industry from search-based shopping towards end-to-end journey orchestration. This raises the risk that airlines could lose visibility if their content is not structured for machine interpretation, particularly given the role of third-party aggregators in distributing airline data today. Nigam concluded that complexity is now a commercial disadvantage in the AI era, urging airlines to simplify offers, structure data and clearly communicate value to ensure AI agents can accurately represent their products and influence future demand.
Exclusive announcements: MUC launches Commercial Collaboration Playbook; exclusive launches of Smart Ramp White Paper and Commercial Agentic AI White Paper; NRT joins BOOST
The co-located APEX FTE EMEA and Ancillary & Retailing events provided the ideal platform for a series of exclusive industry announcements.
In an undoubted highlight of the APEX FTE Ancillary & Retailing agenda, Dr Jan-Henrik Andersson, Chief Commercial Officer, Munich Airport, presented the ‘Exclusive launch of the Commercial Collaboration Playbook, in partnership with Munich Airport’. The Playbook is a new way of thinking about commercial leadership: airport-led, partner-enabled orchestration across the entire passenger journey, from pre-trip to post-trip. It challenges airports, airlines and commercial partners to move beyond siloed thinking and embrace collaboration as a core growth strategy for the future. Read more here.
Munich Airport International (MAI), the consulting subsidiary of Munich Airport, will soon launch a White Paper that expands the Playbook into a broader industry framework – showing what airports of any size can realistically do to activate collaboration, given their specific constraints and opportunities. Scan the QR code below to complete a short survey and support this initiative. Your input will directly shape the White Paper and help turn collaboration from an aspiration into a shared industry blueprint.
In another undoubted highlight, Manuel van Lijf, Director Travel & Transport, nlmtd, presented the exclusive launch of a White Paper developed in collaboration with Future Travel Experience titled ‘Smart Ramp ConOps: The Future of Aircraft Turnaround’. Shaped through workshops with leading airlines and airports worldwide through the pioneering FTE Smart Ramp initiative, the White Paper outlines a shared vision for the ramp of the future. The message is clear: the technology is ready. Delivering the next generation of turnaround operations now depends on collaboration, alignment and industry-wide commitment. Discover how the industry can work together to create safer, smarter, more efficient and more sustainable ramp operations. Download the White Paper here.
As part of the FTE Ancillary & Retailing Agentic AI Day, Eric Léopold, Founder, Threedot, exclusively unveiled a new Commercial Agentic AI White Paper for the aviation industry. The White Paper explores the rapid rise of artificial intelligence (AI)-assisted travel search, the implications for airlines and intermediaries, and a look at a future where travel shopping becomes an agent-to-agent conversation.
It was also announced that Narita International Airport has joined BOOST – a global coalition dedicated to accelerating baggage innovation. Launched in partnership by nlmtd and Future Travel Experience, BOOST leverages the collective innovation power of multiple airports, focusing on hands-on execution and quick implementation of new technologies in the baggage journey. Members also include Amsterdam Airport Schiphol, Brussels Airport, Incheon International Airport, and Heathrow. Learn more about BOOST and the FTE Accelerating Collaboration & Engagement platform here.
An outstanding exhibition of innovative industry suppliers and a dedicated startup showcase
More than 40 of the most innovative industry providers showcased their solutions, products and services designed to help airports and airlines redefine the end-to-end passenger experience, optimise operational efficiency, and create new commercial endeavours both on the ground and up in the air. Some of the most established global players were present at the show, including TravelX, FACEPHI, Sherpa, Smarter Airports, Aviation Solutions by Schiphol, ByteTravel, Fairlyne, Journey Robotics, Plan3, Planitas, Ursa Robotics, Viasat, and Vodafone Travel eSIM which brought a summer vibe to its exhibition presence with deck chairs, beach balls and a surf machine. Plus, the exhibition also featured a dedicated Startup Zone.
A key highlight of the exhibition was the breadth of live, hands-on demonstrations, allowing attendees to experience innovation in action across the end-to-end passenger journey. These included SkyFood Airport Delivery’s autonomous delivery and media robots, featuring ‘media in motion’ capabilities and integrated LCD advertising screens for high-impact terminal marketing, as well as Flow Analytics by AGC, which showcased real-time passenger flow, queue and density monitoring powered by privacy-first 3D LiDAR. Roomstorm demonstrated its Stormy AI-powered passenger care platform for disruption management at scale, while 22North by Phonon presented end-to-end passenger journey use cases spanning self-service, ancillary commerce, operational assessment and OCC recovery intelligence. The AEROMOND ecosystem offered highly interactive demonstrations across passenger, crew and onboard connectivity environments, including real-time ordering capabilities, while Alphacomm eSIM illustrated a fully branded travel eSIM storefront embedded within the booking flow to drive rapid conversion. Avsos showcased live in-service operations with Aviro IFR, connecting airline retail, IT and operational teams through real revenue generated on live flights, and Fairlyne demonstrated both its white-label passenger interface and revenue management cockpit, including a rapid revenue impact assessment. Movmo presented a streamlined express checkout experience integrated into an airline booking flow, and Passtination highlighted how airline loyalty programmes can unlock local discounts via mobile wallets, converting trial passes into paid upgrades that generate incremental airline margin.
A unique social and networking programme
Future Travel Experience is renowned for its social and networking events and APEX FTE EMEA and Ancillary & Retailing 2026 was no exception. To kick-off the show, delegates were able to enjoy a City of Dublin Walking Tour courtesy of passenger disruption experts Plan3. This was followed by the APEX FTE Dublin Ice Breaker at House Dublin. At the end of Day 1 of the conferences and exhibition, attendees were treated to a Networking Reception on the exhibition floor, featuring the FTE World Ancillary & Retailing Awards, recognition of the FTE EMEA Digital Transformation Power Lists, and the APEX Best Awards. The evening then continued at the Summer in Dublin Travel Massive Meet-Up at The Odeon – one of Dublin’s most iconic city centre venues.
Air Canada, Brussels Airport, Arrow Analytics and SkyFood Airport Delivery recognised in industry’s definitive innovation awards
The co-located APEX FTE EMEA and Ancillary & Retailing concluded with the FTE Innovate Awards. These landmark awards are truly unique and are the industry’s most respected platform for recognising innovation with real-world impact. Each of the shortlisted airlines, airports and vendors from around the world competed head-to-head, as they pitched their trailblazing initiatives live on stage, in an effort to impress our Provocateurs – Javed Malik, Managing Director, Auj Saudi Arabia, and Dr Joe Leader, Group CEO, APEX/FTE/IFSA – and our audience, whose all-important votes decided who won. There were three awards categories: Finnair, AirAsia, Air France-KLM, Air Canada, Qatar Airways and SunExpress were shortlisted for Most Innovative Airline Initiative; Aena, Brussels Airport, Fraport, Aeroporti di Roma, Munich Airport and Fraport Twin Star Airport Management were shortlisted for Most Innovative Airport Initiative; and Aero-Sec, NewSense Engineering, Arrow Analytics, Aware, PnrGo and Metcove were shortlisted for Best New Transformative Concept. The ceremony also saw the presentation of the FTE EMEA Startup Innovation Award. Read the full awards report here.
APEX FTE EMEA Conference
A highlight of the APEX FTE EMEA Conference was a session focused on ‘AI Innovation and Digital Transformation Excellence’. Attendees heard from pioneering aviation industry stakeholders who showcased the inspiring ways in which they are successfully pushing the boundaries of cutting-edge innovation and digital excellence, including by embracing artificial intelligence (AI). Moderated by Javed Malik, Managing Director, Auj Saudi Arabia, the session featured two compelling presentations. Mustafa Egilmezbilek, Chief Information Officer, SunExpress, shared the airline perspective, with a presentation focused on how SunExpress is embracing AI, machine learning and emerging tech to optimise operations. Presenting the airport operator perspective, Marina Lützenberger, Program Director, Corporate Strategy & Digitalization, discussed how Fraport has successfully scaled 50+ digitalisation projects in five years – from AI and robotics to workflow optimisation.
‘The Ramp of the Future: is there any place for humans?’ That was the title of a fascinating session that explored the clear-cut advantages of more ramp automation on business KPIs, the technology in trial and the long-term relevance of human operatives in the turnaround activities of tomorrow. It was standing room only for the session moderated by Max Gosney, Managing Director, Future Travel Experience, which began with a scene-setting presentation by Manuel van Lijf, Director Travel & Transport, nlmtd. He presented the exclusive launch of a White Paper development in collaboration with Future Travel Experience titled ‘Smart Ramp ConOps: The Future of Aircraft Turnaround’, as well as lessons learned from the FTE Smart Ramp programme to date. Shaped through workshops with leading airlines and airports worldwide through the pioneering FTE Smart Ramp initiative, the White Paper outlines a shared vision for the ramp of the future. Download the White Paper here. The session then moved into an insightful, interactive panel discussion also featuring Vera Jakobsen, Vice President Digital, Munich Airport; Tom Kelly, Director, Ground Operations, Ryanair; and Ozan Peneklioglu, VP of Business Development (IT Solutions), Turkish Airlines Technology.
In a joint presentation, Stefan Häberlein, Aviation Operations – Head of Traffic, Supervision, Munich Airport, and Martin Bowman, Chief Strategy Officer, Smarter Airports, explored the shift towards Operational Orchestration as a new operating model for aviation. As complexity grows across airport and airline operations, the session highlighted why visibility alone is no longer enough. Instead, the industry must focus on connecting data, decisions, people and processes to create operations that can sense, decide and act as one coordinated ecosystem. The discussion offered valuable insights into how orchestration can improve resilience, unlock hidden capacity, reduce disruption, and provide a stronger foundation for innovation, automation and artificial intelligence (AI).
The future of the tech-enabled workforce on the ramp and in the baggage hall was the focus of a compelling interactive panel discussion moderated by Darin Juby, Head of Transformation, Future Travel Experience, and featuring Marc Brennan, Head of Baggage, Asset Management, Dublin Airport; Jason Odey, Director, Baggage & Airside Innovation, Air Canada; Allen Yuarata, Director – Terminal, Baggage and Groundside Services, Vancouver Airport Authority; and Brian Horgan, Transformation Lead, Aer Lingus. It was a packed audience and standing room only as they discussed how automation and robotics are rapidly reshaping ground operations. The session explored the intersection of human talent and advanced technology, where automation empowers rather than replaces staff. Attendees discovered how these innovations can eliminate physical strain, enhance real-time decision-making, and create a smarter, safer, and more consistent environment across the ramp and baggage hall.
A particularly prescient topic was data sharing, with a fascinating session focused on how airlines, airports and their partners can finally achieve meaningful data collaboration. Moderated by Kevin Kleist, Head of Emerging Trends, Southwest Airlines, panellists – including members of the FTE Data Sharing Think Tank – featured Keith Walters, Group Transformation Lead, International Airlines Group (IAG); Johnathan Lewis, Innovation Division Director, Miami International Airport; and Célia Francisco, Transformation Office, TAP Air Portugal. The panel tackled some of the technical and trust-based barriers that are currently hindering more effective data collaboration between airlines, airports and their partners.
A compelling session explored when technology becomes a teammate and embracing human/tech collaboration to help your organisation optimise operational efficiency. Moderated by Kevin Kleist, Head of Emerging Trends, Southwest Airlines, panellists included Colin O’Brien, Director of QA & Change Control, Ryanair Labs, Ryanair; Stephen Snyder, Managing Director of Operations & Partnerships, SKY VC; and James Loughran, Innovation Lead, London Gatwick. They discussed how technology, particularly artificial intelligence (AI), is transforming the way the aviation industry operates. The panel of innovation leaders examined how the industry can make best use of technologies including AI to complement the workforce and take operational efficiency to new heights. The panel was followed by a special presentation from Peter Bellew, Founder & Managing Partner, Dooks Capital (former COO of Ryanair, easyJet and Riyadh Air, and former CEO of Malaysia Airlines) focused on ‘The first wave of aviation AI optimised costs, the second wave will determine who wins on revenue’.
It was a packed conference room for a session focused on ‘How can airports and airlines successfully scale baggage handling innovations to make a real difference across the industry? Is the time now?’ Attendees gained an exclusive update on the global BOOST programme, designed to collaboratively transform baggage handling through the rapid adoption of robotics and automation. An expert panel explored its main themes, including Proof of Concepts and outcomes. Moderated by Darin Juby, Head of Transformation, Future Travel Experience, the session opened with a scene-setting presentation from Jan-Jaap Hoving, Programme Manager Baggage, Royal Schiphol Group, titled ‘Exclusive BOOST programme update: Embracing robotics and automation to shape the future of baggage handling’. The session then moved into an insightful interactive panel discussion also featuring Jamie Ratcliffe, Senior Baggage Product Development Manager, Heathrow; Scott Goodwin, Assistant Vice President (AVP), Airport Operations, Greater Orlando Aviation Authority; and Jos Werner, Director, nlmtd.
The APEX FTE EMEA Conference agenda concluded with ‘The Autonomous Vehicles Masterclass: Accelerating the adoption of autonomous vehicles on the ramp and elsewhere across the airport campus’. This interactive masterclass moderated by Corey Clothier, Co-founder & CEO, ARIBO, explored the transition from autonomous trials to full-scale operational deployment at airports. The session examined how self-driving technology will revolutionise ramp logistics and passenger transit, and the regulatory, safety, and infrastructure breakthroughs required to move autonomous vehicles out of the innovation lab and across the entire airport campus.
APEX FTE Ancillary & Retailing Conference
How are leading airlines and airports using artificial intelligence (AI), e-commerce and personalisation to drive both customer experience and commercial performance? That was the focus of an insightful session in the APEX FTE Ancillary & Retailing Conference titled ‘Retailing inspiration from across the aviation sector – AI, e-commerce, personalisation and more’ and moderated by Eric Léopold, Founder, Threedot. In a fascinating Fireside Chat, Yılmaz Goralı, Vice President, Airline Retailing – Product Development, Turkish Technology, shared how Turkish Airlines is embracing AI-driven retailing, including dynamic pricing of ancillary services, leveraging in-house data, and integrating with platforms such as ChatGPT as part of its ambition to become one of the world’s leading digital airlines by 2027. Then, in a compelling presentation providing the airport perspective, Nico Castagna, Head Digital & Experience, Zurich Airport, highlighted how Zurich Airport’s digital platform is bringing together personalised information, e-commerce, priority services and other digital touchpoints to create a more seamless passenger experience.
An undoubted highlight of the APEX FTE Ancillary & Retailing agenda was a session focused on ‘Commercial collaboration: embracing innovation and collaboration to create new revenue streams for airlines, airports and their partners’. Moderated by Dr Jan-Henrik Andersson, Chief Commercial Officer, Munich Airport, who opened with a presentation on the exclusive launch of the new Commercial Collaboration Playbook, the session moved into an interactive panel discussion featuring Martin Streinz, Senior Director Partner Sales & Ambient, Miles & More GmbH; Martin Kamlah, Vice President – Professional Services, Munich Airport International; Ian Upton, Head of Category for Operations, Logistics, Contracts and Sustainability, Heathrow; and Emre Devrim, Product & Customer Experience Manager, AJet.
A Case Study Spotlight focused on ‘Airline retailing and ancillary revenue excellence powered by new technology, approaches and collaborations’. Attendees discovered some of the inspiring ways in which airlines and their partners are successfully pioneering new routes to generating revenue and transforming ancillaries into a core growth engine. Moderated by Sinead Finn, Founder, affinnity, the session featured three segments. Salla Rinta-Kanto, Head of Products and Retailing Development, Finnair, presented how Finnair has embraced digital transformation and modern airline retailing to deliver personalised experiences and boost revenues. Eduardo Morales, Director of Revenue Management and Pricing, Volaris, and Martin Restrepo, Director of Business Development, TravelX, explored ‘Turning Flexibility into Profit: Volaris & TravelX’s Post-Booking Playbook’. Finally, Ella Alkalay Schreiber, SVP & GM of Fintech, HTS (Hopper Technology Solutions) discussed how airlines build trust and brand loyalty during global disruptions.
Creative strategies to boost airport commercial performance while creating memorable customer experiences were discussed in another engaging panel discussion. Moderated by Thomas Kaneko Henningsen, Partner, Blueprint, panellists included Katie O’Leary, Head of Commercial Revenue, Growth & Development, Dublin Airport; Jeff Livney, VP for Business Development – Digital Products, Airport Dimensions; and Sylvie Ladame, Sales Director EMEA APAC, Atrius. They shared iinsights into how they have developed successful retail strategies that elevate the customer experience whilst also laying the foundations for non-aero growth.
The ancillary revenue ideas you haven’t thought of yet were highlighted in a compelling session, which explored opportunities to create new ancillary revenue streams, leveraging identity, connectivity, artificial intelligence (AI) and more. The fast-paced and interactive discussion examined where the biggest opportunities lie, and how airlines and their partners can start to unlock the untapped potential. Moderated by Mark Lenahan, Director, Lenahan Consulting, panellists included Max Tremaine, Co-founder & CEO, Sherpa; Chris Demange, VP – Digital Services & Partnerships, Viasat; Jonas von Kruechten, Founder, dgtlsky (and Board Director, APEX); and Shanika Trotman, Acting Head of Business Development, Vodafone Travel eSIM.
The FTE Ancillary & Retailing Agentic AI Day Session 1 focused on ‘How Agentic AI is shifting the way the aviation commercial ecosystem operates, and what the future might hold’. Moderator Eric Léopold, Founder, Threedot, exclusively unveiled a new Commercial Agentic AI White Paper for the aviation industry. The White Paper explores the rapid rise of artificial intelligence (AI)-assisted travel search, the implications for airlines and intermediaries, and a look at a future where travel shopping becomes an agent-to-agent conversation. The session then moved into an interactive panel discussion also featuring Yılmaz Goralı, Vice President, Airline Retailing – Product Development, Turkish Technology; Everton Oliveira, Head of GenAI Solutions, Ryanair; Miguel Luparelli, Product Innovation Director, Facephi; and Shashank Nigam, Founder & CEO, SimpliFlying. They discussed the most promising GenAI use cases, the benefits for travellers, the implementation challenges, and a collective guestimate of where agentic retailing could be 12 months from now.
The Agentic AI Day Session 2 explored ‘How should you set up your commercial and retailing teams to thrive in the age of AI and Agentic AI?’ Earlier ancillary and retailing conference sessions demonstrated how to make best use of the commercial opportunities using Agentic AI. Fundamentally though, the Agentic AI era demands the right human skills and organisational structure to be successful, from the outset. This session explored how to evolve commercial and retailing teams, bridge the gap between human expertise and machine intelligence, and foster a high-performance culture that unlocks new efficiencies, revenues and personalised experiences. Moderated by Sinead Finn, Founder, affinnity, panellists included Rany Francois-Marie Saad, Designated CEO, AIRIVERIA and Fellow, INSEAD AI Venture Lab; Dr Brian Mac Namee, Co-Director, Insight Research Ireland Centre for Data Analytics; Professor, School of Computer Science, University College Dublin; and Director of Training, Krisolis Ltd; and Alfonso (Poncho) Ramirez, President, Kaiban.
A fascinating Fireside Chat explored ‘AR, VR, XR and Smart Glasses: From virtual to commercial reality?’ In conversation with Sinead Finn, Founder, affinnity, Moritz Engler, Commercial Director AR/VR, MSM.digital, discussed the latest developments in the fields of Smart Glasses, Augmented Reality (AR), Virtual Reality (VR) and Extended Reality (XR), and shed light on how airlines, airports and their partners can tap into these emerging technologies to create unique experiences and unlock new revenue streams.
Startup Pitch Session – a hotbed of innovation
The conference agenda also featured the ‘Startup Pitch Session Powered by the FTE Digital, Innovation & Startup Hub’. This showcased a diverse range of high-potential startups with a selection of pioneering products and services developed to enhance the customer experience, operational efficiency and commercial performance:
- 22North by Phonon focused on ‘Turning Passenger Moments into Revenue Outcomes – In Real Time’.
- AEROMOND discussed ‘Redefining On-Board Experience’.
- biztribution emphasised that ‘The next airline infrastructure crisis will not begin at the airport. It will begin in the search box’.
- Movmo presented on ‘The Last 60 Seconds: How Movmo Brings 1-Click Checkout to Airline Direct Booking’.
- Passtination highlighted ‘The Highest-Margin Ancillary You’re Not Selling Yet’.
- Platform 195 shared ‘The connected journey: How connectivity is unlocking a new era of airline media’.
- SkyFood Airport Delivery showcased ‘SkyFood Airport Robot Delivery: Transforming Waiting Time into an Experience’.
Following the Startup Pitch Session, attendees had the opportunity to vote for their winner via the APEX FTE event app. The winner – SkyFood Airport Delivery – was then announced at the event finale, the FTE Innovate Awards ceremony. Read the full awards report here.
The Startup Pitch Session concluded with a Fireside Chat with Conor Carmody, Director of Programmes, Skillnet Innovation Exchange, focused on ‘Sparking a bright future for air transport innovation in Ireland and beyond’. Carmody outlined the role of Skillnet Innovation Exchange in bridging the gap between startups and enterprise organisations, enabling structured engagement that helps corporates identify, test and scale emerging solutions. Reflecting on the day’s startup pitches, he highlighted the breadth of innovation on display, particularly across customer experience, operational efficiency and commercial performance, noting the importance of solutions that combine clear value propositions with practical scalability for complex enterprise environments. A key theme of the discussion centred on what makes startup-corporate partnerships successful. Carmody emphasised that beyond strong technology, successful collaborations depend on alignment of expectations, speed of decision-making, and a willingness from corporates to actively engage in co-creation rather than traditional procurement-led approaches. He also pointed to the aviation sector’s ongoing digital transformation journey, observing significant momentum but also considerable untapped potential for deeper engagement with startups. Looking ahead, Carmody highlighted emerging opportunities across data-driven operations, AI-enabled services and customer-centric digital solutions, while also praising Ireland’s growing reputation as a dynamic innovation hub with a strong and increasingly diverse startup ecosystem.
Co-Creation Roundtables: Smart Ramp & Baggage Innovation, plus Agentic AI
The Co-Creation Roundtables provided a platform that encouraged engagement and interaction between participants. The interactive session on Smart Ramp & Baggage Innovation was moderated by Darin Juby, Head of Transformation, Future Travel Experience, and Jos Werner, Director, nlmtd. Themed ‘The People Layer’ it explored the intersection between the human workforce and robotics-enabled automation, specifically relating to baggage handling and ramp operations.
The Agentic AI Co-Creation Session was moderated by Eric Léopold, Founder, Threedot, as part of the FTE Ancillary & Retailing Agentic AI Day. This hackathon-style Co-Creation Workshop brought together a variety of stakeholders to work on an Agentic AI challenge. The aim was to simulate how a traveller will use an AI agent to search for and book a trip.
VIP and speaker tours of the exhibition
Day 1 of the APEX FTE EMEA and Ancillary & Retailing events featured a special VIP tour of the exhibition. Following his Opening Keynote, Juha Jaervinen, Chief Customer Officer (CMXO) & Executive Vice President, Virgin Atlantic, joined a high-level delegation alongside Mustafa Egilmezbilek, Chief Information Officer, SunExpress; Dr Joe Leader, Group CEO, APEX/FTE/IFSA; Max Gosney, Managing Director, Future Travel Experience; Helen Stoddart, Conference Producer, Future Travel Experience, and more. In addition, new this year was a series of curated tours of the exhibition offering speakers a hosted opportunity to explore the show floor with their peers.
MUC, Ryanair, LHR, Finnair, IST and AirAsia recognised in FTE Ancillary & Retailing Awards, plus Digital Transformation Power List winners announced
Future Travel Experience announced the winners of the FTE World Airline Ancillary and World Airport Retailing Awards, as well as the airline and airport leaders from the FTE Digital Transformation Power List EMEA. The presentation ceremony was held at the co-located APEX FTE EMEA and Ancillary & Retailing events as part of the Networking Reception. 25 airlines and 25 airports were shortlisted for the FTE World Airline Ancillary & FTE World Airport Retailing Awards 2026. Three airlines and three airports were awarded with bronze, silver and gold trophies, further to a voting process conducted through FTE Advisory Board members, and other key trusted collaborators.
Meanwhile, the FTE Airline/Airport Digital Transformation Power Lists shine a light on the most transformative digital change enablers within the airline and airport industry in the EMEA region, who are pioneering new approaches that have the potential to improve travel for passengers and make the industry safer, more efficient and commercially successful. Read the full report here.
APEX Best Awards
The APEX Best Awards also took place during the co-located APEX FTE EMEA and Ancillary & Retailing events. APEX leverages its incredible partnership with TripIt® from Concur®, the world’s most used travel-organising app, to gather anonymous passenger feedback based on neutral, third-party passenger feedback and insights for the honours. For the 2026 awards, over one million flights were rated by passengers across more than 600 airlines from around the world using a five-star scale. On the same screen, passengers were given the opportunity to provide anonymous ratings in five inflight subcategories: seat comfort, cabin service, food and beverage (presented in conjunction with IFSA), entertainment, and Wi-Fi. The single screen rating allows airline passengers to easily rate their flight in less than 15 seconds. Learn more by visiting the Airline Passenger Experience Association (APEX) website here.
FTE Smart Ramp meeting
Ahead of APEX FTE EMEA and Ancillary & Retailing 2026, members of the pioneering FTE Smart Ramp initiative convened for an in-person meeting at the RDS Dublin, led by Manuel van Lijf, Director Travel & Transport, nlmtd. The Smart Ramp initiative, launched in partnership between Future Travel Experience and innovation consultancy nlmtd, has the ultimate goal that aircraft turnaround can be achieved autonomously and more efficiently. Munich Airport, Lufthansa, Schiphol Group, KLM and Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority are all members of what is a truly global collaborative innovation initiative. Rapid progress has been made since the launch of Smart Ramp and in Dublin members met to share current progress and learnings from the innovation challenges already planned and underway.
Learn more about Smart Ramp & the FTE Accelerating Collaboration & Engagement platform >>FTE Digital, Innovation & Startup Hub members-only event at NovaUCD
FTE Digital, Innovation & Startup Hub Corporate Partners attended an engaging event hosted by NovaUCD – University College Dublin’s hub of innovation and startup-related activities.
Following opening remarks from Ryan Ghee, Chief Operating Officer, Future Travel Experience, and Kevin Kleist, Head of Emerging Trends at Southwest Airlines and Head of Innovation & Startup Engagement at Future Travel Experience, the packed agenda began with a compelling presentation by Liam Cronin, Director of Innovation, University College Dublin (UCD). He shared a fascinating look ‘Behind the scenes of innovation at NovaUCD’, discussing how NovaUCD is catalysing industry innovation and growth. Cronin highlighted how NovaUCD provides a series of programmes for inventors and researchers to progress a great idea along a commercial pathway, identifying funding and attracting resources to create a high potential startup company.
The meeting continued with fascinating insights from Dr Brian Mac Namee, Co-Director, Insight Research Ireland Centre for Data Analytics; Professor, School of Computer Science, University College Dublin; and Director of Training, Krisolis Ltd. He shared a compelling presentation titled ‘Exploring the potential of AI today, tomorrow and into the future’.
A high-impact session followed, connecting FTE Digital, Innovation & Startup Hub Corporate Partners with seven high-potential startups driving meaningful change across the air transport ecosystem. From digital workforce solutions and next-gen software engineering to sustainability innovation and energy optimisation, the agenda showcased practical technologies with real-world application potential for airlines and airports focused on passenger experience, operational efficiency and commercial performance. Corporate Partners heard compelling pitches from Recruitroo, Skippio, TisaLabs, Protostars, EnergyElephant, Binarii Labs, and Tao Climate.
The in-person format enabled deeper dialogue, candid feedback and meaningful connection – exactly what the FTE Digital, Innovation & Startup Hub is designed to foster: accelerating innovation from early-stage breakthrough to industry deployment.
Learn more about the FTE Digital, Innovation & Startup Hub >>FTE Baggage Innovation Working Group meeting, plus exclusive Dublin Airport baggage tour
Ahead of the co-located APEX FTE EMEA and Ancillary & Retailing events, members of the FTE Baggage Innovation Working Group (BIWG) had the opportunity of a visit to Dublin Airport for an exclusive behind-the-scenes baggage tour. Attendees had the opportunity to explore airport operations, exchange ideas with industry peers, and gain valuable insights into the challenges and opportunities shaping the future of baggage and ramp operations.
The meeting itself, which took place at the RDS Dublin, was led by Darin Juby, Head of Transformation, Future Travel Experience. It was a packed room and a packed agenda, featuring a series of compelling presentations.
New member introductions were shared by Nikki Zhang, Project Director, Airside Projects, and Sanjay Lashand, CEO & Founder, DAITY. Zhang highlighted how Airside Projects sits between airport operators, airlines, technology providers and delivery teams. The company is interested in automation, AI and technology, passenger experience, live airport delivery, and collaboration. Meanwhile, Lashand explained DAITY’s work with International Airlines Group (IAG) focused on AI solutions across risk, baggage, gate operations and revenue.
A compelling update on the pioneering BOOST programme followed from Jos Werner, Director, nlmtd; Vijay Kapur, Process Change Manager, Heathrow; Yorick Buys, Head of Baggage, Brussels Airport; and Kim Yeong-jong, Manager, Incheon International Airport Corporation. BOOST is a global coalition dedicated to accelerating baggage innovation. Launched in partnership by nlmtd and Future Travel Experience, BOOST leverages the collective innovation power of multiple airports, focusing on hands-on execution and quick implementation of new technologies in the baggage journey. A highlight was the announcement of the BOOST Asia Cluster, including Narita International Airport as a new member.
A Vanderlande update on the company’s ramping up initiative was delivered by from Hugo Taams, Product Manager Airports, Vanderlande, with practical lessons from developing automation solutions for the handler process.
The final presentation provided insights into Cobot Lift’s Proof of Concepts at Cologne Bonn Airport. Henrik Elm Gullov, Co-founder & CEO, Cobot Lift, discussed transforming indoor baggage handling, with a focus on how COBRO offers a range of autonomous baggage handling solutions using a collaborative robot.
The presentations sparked high levels of audience interaction and engaging discussion.
Learn more about the FTE Baggage Innovation Working Group >>What’s next – FTE Global, Dallas, Texas, 8 to 10 September 2026, and APEX FTE EXPO Asia, Singapore, 18 to 19 November 2026
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Article originally published here:
APEX FTE EMEA and Ancillary & Retailing 2026 in pictures – exclusive Virgin Atlantic keynote, pioneering Playbook and White Paper launches, live demos, brand-new speed networking and much more
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