The Asia-Pacific region is experiencing a significant surge in air travel, with IATA projecting that passenger numbers will double by 2043. To cope with this strong demand, airports in the region are undertaking extensive development work to upgrade existing facilities and build new airports between 2025 and 2035 and beyond. GHI invites leading airports to showcase their developments and what this means for handlers and airlines alike.

Does a cultural leaning towards deference and hierarchies in Asia start to become a serious barrier to building a proactive safety reporting culture on the ramp? This session asks regional leaders to explore the nuances of developing a Just Culture in the region and the hidden impact of penalties/bonuses when allied to the reporting of risks. How do operators coach frontline teams to confidently challenge the behaviours of more senior colleagues or customers when their actions compromise safety? And, are we inadvertently adding to the chance of a catastrophic accident by tying safety records to company-wide incentives? This session will establish an open and transparent dialogue to drive collective safety gains.

Does a cultural leaning towards deference and hierarchies in Asia start to become a serious barrier to building a proactive safety reporting culture on the ramp? This session asks regional leaders to explore the nuances of developing a Just Culture in the region and the hidden impact of penalties/bonuses when allied to the reporting of risks. How do operators coach frontline teams to confidently challenge the behaviours of more senior colleagues or customers when their actions compromise safety? And, are we inadvertently adding to the chance of a catastrophic accident by tying safety records to company-wide incentives? This session will establish an open and transparent dialogue to drive collective safety gains.

Assaia’s 2025 Turnaround Report analysed more than 450,000 AI-enabled aircraft turnarounds across 15 airports in Europe and North America between April 2024 and March 2025. The findings show that real-time AI visibility and predictive decision-making are translating into operational and financial gains. At airports (in both regions) using Assaia’s technology, departure delays fell by 25%, gate efficiency improved by 5%, and one additional flight was added per day for every 20 gates. How could this new technology be an effective tool in optimising operations for airports across the Asia-Pacific region?

DPS Airport won the Best Station in the world award at GHI’s 2025 pride of Ground Handling awards. The operation exemplified outstanding resilience, leadership, and service excellence in 2024, responding decisively to crises that tested the team to its limits. When Mount Lewotobi and Mount Ruang eruptions forced airspace closures at Bali, leaving 30,000 passengers stranded, they faced operational challenges and supported affected travellers with professionalism and care. Also during the baggage handling system crisis, they recovered and reunited over 15,000 bags within days, minimising disruption and restoring trust. Come and listen to discover the habits of a world leading ground handling operation.

The aviation industry is embracing electrification and autonomy in ground support equipment to drive sustainability, efficiency and safety. Electrified GSE reduces carbon emissions, noise, and operational costs, while autonomous systems use AI, robotics, and smart sensors to optimise logistics, enhance safety, and enable predictive maintenance. These technologies streamline airport operations, improve turnaround times, and support regulatory compliance. This panel explores current innovations, challenges and future pathways, highlighting how electrified and autonomous GSE can transform airports into cleaner, smarter, and more cost-effective hubs.

GSE operators are inundated with software platforms that offer a granular level of details on unit movements, battery charge, MRO schedules and driver behaviours. But do fleet directors actually know how to translate the reams of data into dynamic performance improvement on the ramp? This session invites technology leaders and users to cure us of analysis paralysis when it comes to fleet management and telematics. The panel will also assess whether we need to refine the number of data capture models being deployed.

Air cargo demand grew 2.9% year-on-year in September, according to IATA. While there has been a decline in North America-Asia demand over this year. IATA says this has been more than compensated for with strong growth within Asia and on routes linking Asia to Europe, Africa and the Middle East. This session will look at how new cargo terminal developments are capitalising on this rapid growth in air cargo demand.

A leading ground handler will share how stations in the EMEAA region are adopting Workforce Optimization software using machine learning to accurately forecast air cargo volumes and align workforce resources in advance. By detecting and preplanning for volume surges early and adjusting resources, it reduces Service Level Agreement breaches due to understaffing or overloading and avoids unnecessary overtime or idle time.

E-commerce is reshaping Asia’s logistics landscape and creating major opportunities for aviation, driven by soaring cross-border demand and expectations for faster delivery. This session explores how air cargo networks, digital integration, and dedicated freighter capacity are evolving to support high-volume parcel flows. It also highlights the warehouse technologies required to meet rising demand, including automation, robotics, AI forecasting, advanced WMS platforms, and digital customs systems.

Indonesia’s Directorate General of Immigration has introduced biometric corridors, allowing travellers to clear immigration without stopping, marking a first large-scale deployment of such technology worldwide. The new “biometrics-on-the-move” technology, developed by Amadeus in collaboration with tech firm PT Sinergi Teknoglobal Perkasa, uses AI to verify passenger identities while they walk through wide lanes, eliminating the need to present documents at passport control.