Melbourne to host 2027 ACI World Airport Experience Summit

ACI World has selected Melbourne Airport to host the 2027 Airport Experience Summit. The announcement came as the eighth edition of the event concluded in Istanbul, Turkey. The Istanbul summit drew around 800 participants and more than 60 expert speakers across nearly 20 sessions and panels, with iGA Istanbul Airport as host.

The 2026 summit focused on embedding hospitality into airport journeys. Takeaways included human-centred travel as a strategic priority, the role of employee experience in service delivery, and the use of technology such as artificial intelligence, robotics, and digital wayfinding to improve passenger journeys. Discussions also covered how customer experience strategies can strengthen commercial performance and how airports can act as cultural ambassadors through art and local identity.

ACI World director general Justin Erbacci said the Istanbul event demonstrated that a human-centred approach is already delivering value at airports worldwide. He noted that passengers remember how an airport made them feel, and that ACI World aims to support all airports in creating memorable journeys.