IATA will hold its 2026 World Safety and Operations Conference in Istanbul, Türkiye, from 6 to 8 October, with Turkish Airlines hosting the event. Under the theme Performance Through People, the gathering will focus on the human role in aviation safety, resilience, operational agility and crisis response as airlines expand their use of automation, data and artificial intelligence.
The conference will bring together pilots, cabin crew, engineers, dispatchers, air traffic professionals, regulators and airline managers to examine how human judgment and training remain central to daily operations. IATA has structured the programme around four tracks: safety, cabin operations, operations and crisis management.
The agenda is expected to address human factors, risk appetite and operating discipline at a time when the sector is becoming more data-driven. It will also look at how airlines and their partners prepare personnel for emergencies and maintain continuity during disruption, with a particular emphasis on practical operational decisions rather than technology alone.