The Worldwide Air Transport Affiliation (IATA) will maintain the 2026 version of its World Data Symposium (WDS) in Singapore on eighth and ninth April.
The upcoming Symposium will carry collectively knowledge, expertise, and cybersecurity leaders to share concepts and showcase actual use circumstances round three themes driving transformation in aviation:
- Utilizing knowledge to drive operational effectivity and stronger strategic decision-making;.
- Strengthening cybersecurity readiness and resilience throughout your entire aviation worth chain; and.
- Leveraging AI and automation to remodel operational efficiency and improve passenger expertise.
Based on IATA senior vice-president for info and knowledge Kim Macaulay: “Information is one in all aviation’s strongest strategic property. The IATA World Information Symposium is the place aviation and expertise professionals share experience and speed up progress towards a wiser, safer, and extra related future. Two well timed focus areas for this second version will take a look at how AI matches into aviation’s digital future, and deep dive into making aviation extra cyber-resilient. Because the tempo of digital innovation accelerates, WDS is a crucial check-in the place these driving digital innovation can take inventory of worldwide developments.”
What to anticipate at WDS 2026
Trying into the important thing points in additional particulars, the WDS program will embody the next periods:
- CEO Panel: Digital Transformation in Aviation
- Open AI within the Aviation Business
- Securing the Digital Flight Path: Agentic AI, Cloud Safety, and Aviation Resilience
- Digital Twins in Aviation and Airports
- Navigating At present’s Turbulence, Securing Tomorrow’s Skies
- From Arenas to Airports: How Sensible Stadium Tech Can Encourage Aviation
- Okay-innovation Tales from Korea
On the identical time, official airline associate Singapore Airways will be a part of the discussions with contributions from chief government Goh Choon Phong, in addition to senior vice-president for info expertise George Wang.
The IATA workforce will embody director-general Willie Walsh, Kim Macaulay, and senior vice-president and chief economist Marie Owens Tomsen.
Different audio system are as follows:
- Capt. Nasaruddin A. Bakar, President & Group CEO, Malaysia Aviation Group
- Chai Eamsiri, Chief Government Officer, Thai Airways
- Olivier Beaujean, VP & Chief Data Officer, Cargolux
- Masaya Fukushima, Vice President of System Administration Division, Japan Airways
- Pratik Patel, International VP Buyer Operations, DHL International Forwarding
- Yanling Liu, SVP Airport Ops and Transformation, Changi Airport Group
- Bum-ho Kim, Vice President, Incheon Worldwide Airport Company
- Pablo Fernandez Kruk, VP Digital Technique, Airways AI Studio, Golant
- David Fairman, Chief Data Officer & Chief Safety Officer APAC, Netskope
- Andrew Sellers, VP Expertise Technique and Enablement, Confluent



