With Passenger Terminal Expo 2025 now just a few months away, Passenger Terminal World’s editor Anthony James selects his top picks from this year’s Passenger Terminal Conference – no easy task, given there are over 450 speakers to choose from spread across the full three days (April 8, 9 and 10, 2025) of the event, which this year takes place in Madrid, Spain.
With so much content available, covering topics as diverse as advanced air mobility and vertiports, AI, aviation security, border control and facilitation, baggage systems, biometrics, commercial development, customer service, design and planning, environment and sustainability, future trends, IT, retail and wayfinding – plus lots of fantastic networking opportunities – those interested in attending are advised to reserve their conference pass now to avoid missing out.
Editor’s selected highlights
What: Welcome to Madrid and keynote address
When: Tuesday, April 8
Who: Maurici Lucena Betriu, chairman and CEO of the board of directors, Aena
Passenger Terminal Expo 2025 is honoured to welcome Maurici Lucena Betriu, CEO of Aena, to open this year’s exhibition and conference in Madrid. You can read an exclusive interview with Betriu in the January 2025 issue of Passenger Terminal World, in which he details the airport operator’s efforts to stay competitive and technologically advanced. He also discusses its commitment to sustainability, including its plans to deploy geothermal energy to achieve sustainable heating and air-conditioning.
What: Elevating the new mega airport city in Bishoftu
When: Tuesday, April 8
Who: Mesfin Tasew Bekele, CEO, Ethiopian Airlines
Within a mission to elevate African aviation and significantly advance the region’s air travel infrastructure, Ethiopian Airlines is designing and constructing a mega airport city at Abusera in Bishoftu city. Projected to ultimately host over 110 million passengers a year, the state-of-the-art airport is envisioned to revolutionize air travel in Ethiopia and cement the country’s position at the crossroads of the world’s most rapidly expanding air travel markets – Africa, Asia, and the Middle East – and as Africa’s global transportation hub. Discover how the vision weaves together sustainable design and construction, an exceptional passenger experience, future readiness, resilience and community.
What: CPK terminal design: a resilient and futureproof scheme
When: Tuesday, April 8
Who: Dr Filip Czernicki, CEO, Centralny Port Komunikacyjny (CPK) and Antoinette Erickson, senior partner, Foster + Partners
Warsaw, Poland’s CPK is one of the largest infrastructure investments in Eastern Europe. This main hub will have a large-scale integration of three main modes of transportation: air, rail and road. The presentation will focus on the flexibility of the terminal and integrated hub design, with its resilience to accommodate unexpected future changes in traffic characteristics and technical developments. In addition, the optimal simplicity of the passenger and baggage flows will be put in the spotlight, along with the site-wide and terminals sustainability strategy. Meanwhile, you can read more on CPK – and Antoinette Erickson’s thoughts on future airports – in an exclusive feature first published in the September 2024 issue of Passenger Terminal World.
What: Creating and curating the world’s No. 1 choice for airport shopping
When: Tuesday, April 8
Who: Tab Musleh, chief retail and hospitality officer, Qatar Airways
Thabet Musleh serves as chief retail and hospitality officer at Qatar Airways. He leads the group’s retail and food and beverage divisions at Qatar Duty Free, along with Internal Media Services, Dhiafatina Hotels, and Qatar Airways’ lounge businesses worldwide. Thabet brings a wealth of experience, with more than 15 years in the travel retail sector, including a decade holding senior positions at World Duty Free Group before joining Qatar Airways Group in 2015. You can read more on the latest trends in airport retail in an exclusive feature first published in the January 2025 issue of Passenger Terminal World.
What: Dubai: countdown to day one air taxi operations
When: Wednesday, April 9
Who: Duncan Walker, CEO, Skyports
This session offers an exclusive insight into the launch of Dubai’s pioneering commercial vertiport operations, providing an in-depth status update on the development of the world’s first air taxi network. Attendees will gain a clear understanding of the operational plans for launch day, exploring how the vertiport network will function from both an infrastructure and a passenger experience perspective. The session will delve into the unique challenges and considerations for key stakeholders, including terminal design, airspace management and the passenger journey, illustrating how these elements combine to create a seamless travel experience.
What: Uncovering the hidden threats in airports
When: Wednesday, April 9
Who: Maurice Jenkins, chief innovation officer, Miami International Airport
In a developing digital landscape, perceived threats in cybersecurity within transportation networks (specifically airports) are constantly changing. Miami International Airport has identified that what operations directors commonly believe is a threat versus a changing reality in relation to cyber threats to critical infrastructure – and has identified new technologies powering innovation with observation as the key.
What: Terminal 2025: it’s all in the details
When: Wednesday, April 9
Who: Melissa White, managing director, corporate real estate strategy and asset management, Delta Air Lines & Kathleen A, Boyd, FlyBoyd International
Delta and its consultants have spent the last several years repeatedly auditing its hub airports across 600 variables and prioritizing customer experience improvements. Customer experience excellence is a moving target at airports, with almost daily upgrades across the industry. Nevertheless, great progress has been made, including wayfinding, digital signage, security, seating, restrooms, wi-fi, clubrooms, baggage, check-in, transit, concessions, website and accessibility. The airline is hyper-focused on the customer experience on the ground and in the air.
What: APU use monitoring via AI to reduce emissions and costs
When: Wednesday, April 9
Who: Alban Negret, head of innovation and corporate venture, Groupe ADP
Group ADP is implementing a groundbreaking solution for air quality and CO2 management at Paris-Charles de Gaulle Airport. Leveraging advanced multi-optical technology combined with AI and real-time data transmission, the system automatically detects APU use and monitors aircraft emissions, delivering critical insights to reduce environmental impact. By integrating with ADP’s data infrastructure, this partnership aims to enhance air quality management and optimize energy consumption, fostering a more sustainable airport operation. With our partner’s innovative approach, we’re setting new standards in environmental responsibility and operational efficiency, reinforcing our commitment to sustainability and innovation within airport management.
What: Resilience, continuity, risk management – a new benchmark for airports
When: Thursday, April 10
Who: Dr KJ Devasia, assistant vice president and head, Bangalore International Airport Limited
The aviation industry, precisely the airport sector, has been incredibly alert to and cognizant of the new kinds of challenges and risks in the post-pandemic era. The increasing number of risks clubbed with the unprecedented impact of climate change prompt airport operators to invest more time and resources in devising strategies to overcome such uncertainties. Enterprise risk management paired with business continuity and systematic response to events are the new benchmark for ensuring organizational resilience in the aviation sector. Privatization of airports and the compulsion of self-financing to add new infrastructure underline the need for a calculated effort in this domain.
What: What’s next for airport accessibility compliance oversight in the US?
When: Thursday, April 10
Who: John P Benison, assistant administrator for civil rights, Federal Aviation Administration
Benison will provide insight into the Federal Aviation Administration’s compliance oversight responsibilities and activities; his vision for airport compliance oversight and accessibility for the next five years; strategies the FAA will employ to get there; and his personal connection to airport accessibility and why ensuring airport terminal accessibility is imperative. For more on accessibility, please read this exclusive feature from the June 2024 issue of Passenger Terminal World; and keep an eye out for a future feature on improving accessibility at the security checkpoint.
For more information on Passenger Terminal Expo 2025 and to register for the free-to-attend exhibition that takes place alongside the conference (rates apply), click here.