The International Air Transport Association (IATA) will hold the 2026 edition of its World Data Symposium (WDS) in Singapore on 8th and 9th April.
The upcoming Symposium will bring together data, technology, and cybersecurity leaders to share ideas and showcase real use cases around three themes driving transformation in aviation:
- Using data to drive operational efficiency and stronger strategic decision-making;.
- Strengthening cybersecurity readiness and resilience across the entire aviation value chain; and.
- Leveraging AI and automation to transform operational performance and enhance passenger experience.
According to IATA senior vice-president for information and data Kim Macaulay: “Data is one of aviation’s most powerful strategic assets. The IATA World Data Symposium is where aviation and technology professionals share expertise and accelerate progress toward a smarter, safer, and more connected future. Two timely focus areas for this second edition will look at how AI fits into aviation’s digital future, and deep dive into making aviation more cyber-resilient. As the pace of digital innovation accelerates, WDS is an important check-in where those driving digital innovation can take stock of global developments.”
What to expect at WDS 2026
Looking into the key issues in more details, the WDS program will include the following sessions:
- CEO Panel: Digital Transformation in Aviation
- Open AI in the Aviation Industry
- Securing the Digital Flight Path: Agentic AI, Cloud Security, and Aviation Resilience
- Digital Twins in Aviation and Airports
- Navigating Today’s Turbulence, Securing Tomorrow’s Skies
- From Arenas to Airports: How Smart Stadium Tech Can Inspire Aviation
- K-innovation Stories from Korea
At the same time, official airline partner Singapore Airlines will join the discussions with contributions from chief executive Goh Choon Phong, as well as senior vice-president for information technology George Wang.
The IATA team will include director-general Willie Walsh, Kim Macaulay, and senior vice-president and chief economist Marie Owens Tomsen.
Other speakers are as follows:
- Capt. Nasaruddin A. Bakar, President & Group CEO, Malaysia Aviation Group
- Chai Eamsiri, Chief Executive Officer, Thai Airways
- Olivier Beaujean, VP & Chief Information Officer, Cargolux
- Masaya Fukushima, Vice President of System Management Department, Japan Airlines
- Pratik Patel, Global VP Customer Operations, DHL Global Forwarding
- Yanling Liu, SVP Airport Ops and Transformation, Changi Airport Group
- Bum-ho Kim, Vice President, Incheon International Airport Corporation
- Pablo Fernandez Kruk, VP Digital Strategy, Airlines AI Studio, Golant
- David Fairman, Chief Information Officer & Chief Security Officer APAC, Netskope
- Andrew Sellers, VP Technology Strategy and Enablement, Confluent
