Melbourne Airport to Host 2027 ACI World Airport Experience Summit – First Time in Oceania

Global Aviation Leaders Convene in Istanbul to Define the New Era of Airport Experience

Nearly 800 delegates will gather to shape a new chapter of human-centred travel and celebrate the world’s best airports for customer experience.

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Melbourne Airport will host the 2027 edition of the ACI World Airport Experience Summit, Airports Council International (ACI) World announced today as the eighth edition officially closed in Istanbul, Türkiye – marking the first time the world’s premier airport experience event will be held in Oceania.

The announcement caps a week of high-level collaboration hosted by iGA Istanbul Airport, bringing together around 800 participants from around the globe and featuring more than 60 expert speakers across nearly 20 sessions and panels. Moving beyond discussions of theory and infrastructure, global aviation, travel, and customer experience (CX) leaders depart with proof that embedding genuine hospitality into the airport journey delivers measurable results.

ACI World Director General Justin Erbacci said: “We leave Istanbul with proof that a human-centred approach is already proving its value in airports on every continent. Passengers will always remember how an airport made them feel, and ACI World is here to support every airport in creating that memorable journey. We thank iGA Istanbul for their extraordinary hospitality, and we can’t wait to bring this work to Melbourne next year.”

Melbourne Airport CEO Lorie Argus said: “We are pleased to welcome the 2027 ACI World Airport Experience Summit to Melbourne and Australia. Melbourne Airport is Australia’s largest 24-hour gateway and is embarking on an ambitious expansion programme with a new runway, an expanded international terminal and new ground transport facilities to cater for the growing demand for air travel.

We’re proud of our world-leading accessibility and customer-service initiatives and we look forward to welcoming delegates from around the world to share their ideas, insights and innovations with other global leaders.”

Key Summit takeaways:

• Human-Centred Travel as a Strategic Priority: Airport, travel and CX leaders explored how genuine hospitality, wellbeing and accessibility can create more inclusive, memorable journeys.
• People Power Performance: Discussions in the Talent & Growth Seminar and general Summit highlighted the essential role of employee experience, organisational culture and training in delivering excellent service and building passenger trust.
• Technology with a Human Purpose: Artificial intelligence, robotics, digital wayfinding and real-time data were positioned as tools to make journeys more seamless, intuitive and engaging.
• Customer Experience Delivers Business Value: The programme demonstrated how experience-led strategies can improve passenger satisfaction while strengthening commercial performance.
• Airports as Destinations and Cultural Ambassadors: Speakers examined how art, local identity and engaging spaces can transform terminals into places of discovery, connection and community.
• The World’s Best Airports: A highlight of the event was the celebratory Gala Dinner, which recognised more than 100 airports for receiving ASQ Customer Experience Awards, sponsored by SITA, or achieving Airport Customer Experience Accreditation.
• 20 Years of Excellence: The event also commemorated the 20th anniversary of ACI’s ASQ programme, the world’s leading airport passenger satisfaction benchmarking programme and the foundation of the ASQ Customer Experience Awards.

About ACI

Airports Council International (ACI), the trade association of the world’s airports, is a federated organization comprising ACI World, ACI Africa, ACI Asia-Pacific and Middle East, ACI EUROPE, ACI Latin America and the Caribbean and ACI North America. In representing the best interests of airports during key phases of policy development, ACI makes a significant contribution toward ensuring a global air transport system that is safe, secure, efficient, and environmentally sustainable. As of January 2026, ACI serves 811 members, operating over 2,200 airports in more than 160 countries worldwide.

About Melbourne AirportMelbourne Airport is Australia’s largest 24-hour gateway and proudly welcomes more than 36 million passengers every year. The airport is a key hub for Qantas, Virgin Australia and Jetstar and is served by more than 35 international carriers. Melbourne Airport is currently undertaking a significant programme of capital works including construction of a third runway and associated taxiways, expansion of its international terminal and enhancement of its ground transport offering. In 2025, the airport launched its world-leading Assist program, offering free, proactive, human support to passengers requiring help to move around the terminal and ground transport precinct.