This year’s PTE World 2026 (Passenger Terminal Expo & Conference) took place in London in the context of an unstable global aviation environment that created some travel complexities for those attending.

The war in the Middle East – which is forecast to have some serious consequences for the region this year – also affected some PTE delegates who were initially routed via hubs like DOH in Qatar, DXB in Dubai, and AUH in Abu Dhabi. Nevertheless, by day two of the three-day event, it was clear that the show floor was bustling and that the multi-track conference program was running well, with some slight adjustments.

A sizable team from strategic investment advisory and professional services company Modalis Infrastructure Partners (the owner of airportIR) was on the ground in London. President and CEO Curtis Grad said: “This is a huge show, and the people we need to talk to are here. For us, it’s all about the networking.”

Modalis Deputy CEO Fernando Lopez-Calleja added: “PTE remains the must-go exhibition for airport design, development, and operations. It has been a great opportunity to catch up with our network of clients, partners, and suppliers, and to create new connections. Exhausting but very much worthwhile.”

Alex Vidal, Head of Business Development and Market Intelligence at Modalis, commented: “The show was great for discovering what’s new in the industry and meeting new clients for future cooperation. We also noticed that Modalis is getting higher brand recognition in the market, which is good news.”

More Than 500 Speakers

By the event's close on Thursday, when the prestigious Skytrax World Airport Awards are also held, the exhibition will have connected an estimated 11,000 senior executives from airports, airlines, aviation authorities, governments, and their suppliers worldwide.

Some 450+ exhibitors demonstrated all things airport-related – from baggage handling and biometrics, to security and sustainability, as well as future terminal design, placemaking, and more. Meanwhile, about 500 industry leaders were lined up to speak across a broad range of industry topics at the three-day conference, indicating the scale and depth of PTE World.

Sevda Fevzi-Williams, President & CEO of consultancy Sevly, said: “PTE once again proved that no matter how well you plan, this event operates on its own version of time – and it’s never enough.” On the conference program, she described it as “excellent and insightful” this year.

PTE is known for running multiple conference tracks: nine on the first day, 10 today (Wednesday), and eight on the final day of the event. This makes the conference program the most comprehensive and influential in the global airport calendar.

Among the highlights were Port Polska’s CEO, Filip Czernicki, who is leading Europe’s largest greenfield airport development, explaining how it would “bring Poland into the 22nd century,” and London Heathrow’s CEO Thomas Woldbye’s confirmation of multibillion-dollar investment plans for a third runway and associated infrastructure at Europe’s busiest gateway.