AIRPORT WORLD 2026, ISSUE 01
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Airport Profile: Antalya
Award Winners: ASQ & Skytrax
Plus: Autonomous Vehicles; Combatting Retail Theft; Cargo Security & Legal Assistance
Highs and lows
Editor, Joe Bates, reflects on the positivity of attending a major aviation event, the impact of conflict in the Middle East, and the hospitality theme of this issue.
It was good to catch up with many familiar faces, and meet some new ones, at the recent PTE World event in London, where optimism for the future was high on the agenda.
Having not attended the event for some time, I forgot just how big it is and how many airports attend and provide enthusiastic updates of how they are faring in the first quarter of Q1, 2026.
To be honest, the positivity was much needed as the ongoing conflict in the Middle East continues to cast a dark shadow over the region and, indeed, the entire world.
It has also once again shown just how vulnerable thecommercial aviation industry is to geopolitical events.
Whatever the outcome, there’s no doubt that the ramifications of the current conflict will be felt for years to come, and history will judge the actions of certain politicians and regimes, but what isn’t in dispute is the impact the war has had on aviation in the region since it began on February 28. Cirium reports that between February 28 and March 11 alone more than 46,000 out of the scheduled 85,500 flights in and out of the Middle East were cancelled.
The world’s busiest international gateway, Dubai International Airport (DXB), along with Bahrain (BAH) in Bahrain, Hamad (DOH) in Qatar, Kuwait (KWI) in Kuwait, Nakhchivan (NAJ) in Azerbaijan and Abu Dhabi’s Zayed International Airport (AUH) have all been targeted by drones.
The conflict continues to affect and suspend airport operations in and across Bahrain, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Kuwait, Qatar, the UAE, Saudi Arabia and Syria.
While rising fuel prices as a direct result of the conflict have led some airlines operating in other parts of the world to reduce their flight schedules and/or implement airfare increases.
Aviation is, of course, nothing but resilient, and the region’s airports – which include some of the best and most high performing gateways in the world – will recover from the current disruption, it is just a question of time.
The aforementioned DXB, AUH and DOH airports are renown for their innovation, particularly when it comes to their adoption of new technology, customer service and hospitality.
You can read more about some of the ways airports are innovating in terms of customer service excellence in the ‘hospitality’ themed section of this issue of Airport World.
In the themed section we take a closer look at a host of pioneering hospitality initiatives; consider how multisensory design is enhancing airport journeys; and celebrate 2025’s ASQ Customer Experience Award winners and Skytrax champions.
The section also contains features about airport lounges and how blending space, service and speed will play a key role in rethinking the passenger journey through airports.
The lead airport feature is on Antalya Airport, which has arguably just enjoyed the best year in its history during which it effectively doubled the size of its Terminal 2 and recorded an all-time traffic high.
Elsewhere in this issue, we have a special report on combatting organised retail crime at airports; the growth and development of autonomous vehicle fleets at airports; and navigating the legal complexities during the delivery of major construction projects.
We also have articles about the latest cargo security developments; FOD innovation; Ethiopia’s planned new Bishoftu International Airport; baggage handling; parking garages; and solar power.
Our regular ‘people matters’ column and ‘business exchange’ section complete the issue.
