AIRPORTS NEXT CONFERENCE & EXPO
Building the next generation of airports
American airports are being rebuilt in real time. New terminals, expanded capacity and a wave of technology are transforming how they operate while millions of passengers continue to move safely every day.
Airports Next brings together the leaders shaping the next generation of American airports: executives setting development strategy, teams delivering major capital projects, architects and designers redefining the passenger experience, and technology leaders driving digital transformation across operations, security and infrastructure.
Across two days, the programme focuses on how to plan and deliver major infrastructure, design better airports, scale technology and innovation, and prepare for the airport of the future.
THE PROGRAMME IDEA
Design, development and technology shape each other
Airports Next is where the people building the future of American airports come together to build it well.
Day One
AIRPORT LEADERSHIP, STRATEGY & THE FUTURE AIRPORT
Day One brings airport executives, infrastructure leaders and technology decision-makers together to examine the strategic choices shaping the next decade.
SESSION 1
Airport CEO Roundtable
What’s keeping airport leaders up at night?
Airport chief executives open the conference with a candid discussion about the strategic issues shaping the future of their airports. The roundtable sets the agenda for the conference and provides a high-level view of the challenges facing American airports.
Key discussion points
- Capital funding pressure, including AIP grants, PFCs, bond financing and rising construction costs.
- Congestion, capacity and relieving terminal bottlenecks without unnecessary expansion.
- Moving AI and automation from experimentation to meaningful operational value.
- Biometrics and the move towards a seamless, paperless passenger journey.
- Cybersecurity as a board-level priority for critical infrastructure.
- Workforce challenges, skilled-trades shortages and technology-driven operations.
- Sustainability mandates and ground equipment electrification.
- Where airport leaders are placing their biggest strategic bets.
SESSION 2
The Airport Infrastructure Challenge
Building the next generation of American airports
Airport infrastructure programmes are getting bigger, more expensive and more complex. Development leaders are being asked to deliver major projects while managing costs, operational constraints, stakeholder expectations, sustainability requirements and an uncertain future.
Key discussion areas
- Planning for growth: matching infrastructure investment to uncertain future demand.
- Building while the airport keeps moving: delivering construction in a live 24/7 environment.
- From masterplan to reality: overcoming barriers between long-term plans and delivery.
- The cost of building airports: managing inflation, labour shortages, supply chains and funding.
- Sustainability, capacity and cost: meeting environmental goals while supporting growth.
- Designing for tomorrow’s passenger: accessibility, biometrics, automation and changing behaviour.
SESSION 3
The Airport CIO of the Future
Building the digital foundations of the modern airport
Airport CIOs must modernise technology, protect critical infrastructure, support innovation and improve the passenger experience while keeping the airport safe and reliable around the clock.
Key discussion points
- Replacing outdated and ageing systems.
- Integrating new and legacy technologies.
- Moving towards cloud-based infrastructure.
- Building flexible and scalable technology architectures.
- Avoiding vendor lock-in and improving interoperability.
- Protecting operational technology and critical infrastructure.
- Creating the digital foundations required for AI and automation.
- Turning data into actionable operational intelligence.
- Balancing innovation with cybersecurity, resilience and reliability.
SESSION 4
The Airport of 2037
What will we be talking about in ten years?
The closing Day One debate looks beyond today’s technology agenda. Airport leaders, innovators, technology companies, designers and futurists will explore how emerging technologies, changing passenger expectations and new forms of aviation could reshape airport infrastructure and operations.
Key discussion points
- Will airports become largely automated?
- Will biometrics replace traditional passenger documentation?
- Will AI become an operational decision-maker?
- What will the terminal of 2037 look like?
- How will baggage be handled, and will passengers still queue?
- How will autonomous vehicles change airport access?
- What happens to the traditional check-in desk?
- How could emerging aircraft technologies change infrastructure?
- Which technologies that seem impossible today could become mainstream?
DAY TWO
US AIRPORT DESIGN & DEVELOPMENT
Day Two’s design and development stream focuses on the physical airport: how airports are being planned, designed, constructed and future-proofed.
SESSION 1
Reimagining the American Airport
Designing terminals for the next generation
US airports are undergoing one of the most significant periods of redevelopment in their history. This session explores how operators, architects, planners and designers are rethinking terminal infrastructure to improve capacity, passenger experience and operational efficiency.
Key discussion points
- How changing passenger expectations are influencing airport design.
- Improving passenger flow and operational efficiency.
- Creating flexible infrastructure for future growth.
- Integrating technology, automation and digital infrastructure into terminal design.
- Balancing capacity, functionality, sustainability and architectural ambition.
- Creating a stronger sense of place that reflects local communities.
- Designing for accessibility and inclusive passenger experiences.
- Lessons from major US terminal redevelopment programmes.
SESSION 2
Building While Operating
Delivering America’s most complex airport development programmes
Delivering a major airport development programme while maintaining safe, efficient and uninterrupted operations requires careful phasing, stakeholder coordination and risk management.
Key discussion points
- Maintaining airport operations during major construction programmes.
- Developing effective construction phasing and transition strategies.
- Managing passenger and airline disruption.
- Controlling costs, inflation and supply-chain pressures.
- Selecting the right project delivery and procurement model.
- The role of design-build and public-private partnerships.
- Improving collaboration between airports, airlines, designers, contractors and government agencies.
- Managing risk across major capital programmes.
- Lessons from major US airport redevelopment programmes.
SESSION 3
Future-Proofing the US Airport
Designing for resilience, sustainability & new technology
The airports being designed today will operate for decades. This forward-looking session examines how US airports can create infrastructure that is more sustainable, resilient, adaptable and capable of evolving with future requirements.
Key discussion points
- Designing infrastructure for climate resilience and extreme weather.
- Reducing energy consumption and supporting long-term decarbonisation.
- Integrating renewable energy and sustainable building technologies.
- Designing flexible infrastructure for changing airline and passenger demands.
- The impact of AI and automation on airport infrastructure.
- Preparing airports for electric and next-generation aircraft.
- How advanced air mobility could influence airport planning.
- Creating infrastructure that can evolve rather than become obsolete.
- Keeping terminals and infrastructure relevant for the next 20 to 30 years.
DAY TWO
INNOVATION & THE CONNECTED AIRPORT
A parallel technology-focused stream examines how digital transformation, cybersecurity, automation and passenger technology are changing airport operations.
SESSION 1
The Intelligent Airport
How technology & innovation are transforming airport operations
AI, automation, biometrics, digital twins, data analytics and the Internet of Things are becoming central to the intelligent airport. The challenge is moving beyond pilots to solutions that create measurable value in a complex live environment.
Key discussion points
- Defining and delivering an effective digital transformation strategy.
- Moving beyond pilot projects and scaling innovation.
- The role of AI and automation in airport operations.
- Using data and predictive analytics to improve decision-making.
- Digital twins in airport planning and operational management.
- Connecting airport systems and breaking down operational silos.
- Measuring return on investment from new technology.
- Creating a culture of innovation across the airport ecosystem.
SESSION 2
Cybersecurity & the Connected Airport
Protecting critical aviation infrastructure
As airports become increasingly connected, digital and automated, cybersecurity is a critical operational and business priority. The modern airport requires a strategy that extends beyond traditional IT to protect the wider ecosystem and continuity of essential services.
Key discussion points
- The biggest cybersecurity threats facing airports.
- Protecting operational technology and critical infrastructure.
- Securing connected systems, IoT devices and smart airport technologies.
- Managing cyber risk across complex airport ecosystems.
- Collaboration between IT, operational and security teams.
- Preparing for and responding to a cyber incident.
- Third-party and supply-chain cybersecurity risks.
- Building cyber resilience into new infrastructure and technology projects.
- Balancing innovation and connectivity with security and resilience.
SESSION 3
From Curbside to Baggage Claim
Creating a seamless passenger journey
Passengers increasingly expect the airport experience to be as seamless, personalised and predictable as the digital services they use every day. This session explores how design, technology and operational innovation can remove friction from the end-to-end journey.
Key discussion points
- What a truly seamless passenger journey looks like.
- Using technology to reduce queues and friction.
- Biometrics and digital identity in passenger processing.
- Improving check-in, security and boarding.
- The future of self-service and automated passenger processing.
- Improving the baggage journey.
- Using automation, tracking and data to reduce baggage disruption.
- Integrating baggage information into the passenger experience.
- Personalisation, accessibility and inclusive airport design.
- Measuring customer satisfaction and identifying passenger pain points.
Programme participation
For programme enquiries or to discuss contributing to a session, contact the Airports Next team.