IATA unveils 2026 calendar – 18 events including MENA forum
The International Air Transport Association (IATA) has published its 2026 events calendar, expanding to 18 gatherings that will convene airline, airport and government leaders to address sector priorities including digitalisation, new payment solutions and scaling Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF). IATA reported more than 11,000 delegates across 16 events in 2025, reflecting strong demand for forums focused on safety, sustainability and operations.
New for 2026 are the IATA World Maintenance & Engineering Symposium (23–25 June, Madrid) to examine aerospace supply chain pressures, and Wings of Change Middle East & North Africa (8–9 September, Manama) for one of the fastest growing regions, with discussion on growth, evolving passenger expectations and decarbonisation. Other key fixtures include the World Cargo Symposium (10–12 March, Lima), World Data Symposium (8–9 April, Singapore), World Safety and Operations Conference (6–8 October, Istanbul), World Sustainability Symposium (October, Brussels), as well as the World Passenger Symposium and World Financial Symposium in Q4 2026, locations to be confirmed.