Airport Dialogues
Closed-Door Roundtable Discussions for Real Conversations, Real Solutions and Real Connections.
5 November 2025
Think of Airport Dialogues as a space where the right people come together to have the right conversations—without the noise. These are closed-door, 90-minute roundtable sessions designed for professionals who are actively shaping the future of airport operations.
No marketing fluff. No speeches. Just a small group—no more than 15 participants—engaging in real, facilitated discussions about the challenges they’re facing and the opportunities ahead in airport operations. Whether you’re an airport planner, operator, consultant, regulator, ground handler, or airline rep, this is where you’ll find peers who get it—and want to solve it.
WHY JOIN?
HOW THE DIALOGUES WORK?
- Intimate Roundtables: Join a select group of industry peers for focused, in-depth discussions. With a maximum of 15 participants per session, you’ll experience a truly collaborative environment.
- Real Conversations, Real Solutions: Go beyond presentations and engage in genuine dialogue to address critical challenges and opportunities facing the airport ecosystem.
- Diverse Perspectives: Connect and exchange insights with planners, airports, consultants, government bodies, ground handlers, and airlines. Gain a holistic understanding of industry issues.
- Interactive Format: Each 90-minute session includes facilitated discussion, dedicated Q&A, and valuable small-group networking activity to foster meaningful connections.
Sessions and Themes
SESSION 1
Moderated by:
Designing Sustainable Airport Cities — Future-Ready, Climate-Resilient, and People-Centric
As airports transform into urban ecosystems, this roundtable explores how to design airport cities that are economically vibrant, environmentally sustainable, and socially inclusive.
Moderator: Michael Portier, Director (Aviation), Surbana Jurong
SESSION 2
Moderated by:
Future Airport Ops: Rethinking Apron Efficiency for Faster Turnarounds
As airports face growing pressure to improve turnaround times and manage rising passenger volumes, apron operations must evolve to be more efficient, coordinated, and resilient.
Moderator: Dr Rakesh Nagi, Director (Aviation Studies Institute), Singapore University of Technology & Design
Session 3
Moderated by:
Smarter Screening, Safer Borders: Exploring AI Imaging in Airport Security
AI-powered image analysis is reshaping how airports manage security and passenger flow. This roundtable brings together airport operators, regulators and legal experts to explore the real-world potential of smart imaging—from faster threat detection to smoother border control.
Moderator: Alan Xavier Tan, Senior Vice President, Aerodrome Safety & Aviation Security, Changi Airport Group
SPECIAL SESSION by McKinsey
Senior Executive Roundtable
Hosted and moderated by world-leading consultancy McKinsey.
SPECIAL SESSION by ARUP
Constructing Tomorrow’s Terminal while Improving Today’s Experience
Airports across the world face the challenge of accommodating growth at the same time as providing operational excellence. How best to expand and modernise terminals while ensuring that today’s passengers enjoy a seamless journey? Major terminal projects span multiple years, and it is critical to ensure satisfied travellers, smooth operations and steady commercial performance during these periods.
Moderator: Regine Weston, Arup Fellow
AIRPORT DIALOGUES SESSION 1
Moderated by:
Designing Sustainable Airport Cities — Future-Ready, Climate-Resilient, and People-Centric
As airports transform into urban ecosystems, this roundtable explores how to design airport cities that are economically vibrant, environmentally sustainable, and socially inclusive. Moderated by Michael Portier, Director Aviation, Surbana Jurong, the session focuses on climate-resilient infrastructure, green mobility, and integrated planning aligned with long-term sustainability goals.
Targeted Participants:
- Airport Masterplanners
- Aviation Consultants
- Airport Operators
Key Discussion Points:
- How can integrated design and infrastructure support climate goals?
- What governance models enable cross-sector planning (transport, housing, commercial)?
- How do we ensure airport cities are inclusive and people-centric?
AIRPORT DIALOGUES SESSION 2
Moderated by:
Future Airport Ops: Rethinking Apron Efficiency for Faster Turnarounds
As airports face growing pressure to improve turnaround times and manage rising passenger volumes, apron operations must evolve to be more efficient, coordinated, and resilient. This roundtable, moderated by Dr Rakesh Nagi, Director (Aviation Studies Institute), Singapore University of Technology & Design, brings together airport operations leads, ground handlers, and infrastructure planners to explore how apron workflows can be reconfigured for better performance. The discussion will touch on the role of automation, layout design, and emerging digital tools such as autonomous vehicles, robotics, digital twins, and simulation technologies. Participants will exchange insights on balancing safety, speed, and space, and how regulatory and airline requirements shape apron planning for the future.
Targeted Participants:
- Airline Ground Operations Managers
- Ground Handling Company Directors
- Airport Terminal Managers and/or Ground Operations Managers
Key Discussion Points:
- How can apron operations be reconfigured to support faster turnaround?
- What role do autonomous vehicles and robotics play in apron logistics?
- How can digital twins and simulation tools help optimise apron layouts?
- What are the trade-offs between safety, speed, and space?
- How do regulatory and airline requirements shape apron planning?
AIRPORT DIALOGUES SESSION 3
Moderated by:
Smarter Screening, Safer Borders: Exploring AI Imaging in Airport Security
AI-powered image analysis is reshaping how airports manage security and passenger flow. This roundtable, moderated by Alan Xavier Tan, Senior Vice President, Aerodrome Safety & Aviation Security, Changi Airport Group, brings together airport operators, regulators and legal experts to explore the real-world potential of smart imaging—from faster threat detection to smoother border control. We’ll dive into the benefits, challenges, and practical steps for adoption, especially in the early stages when certification and regulatory frameworks may still be evolving. Expect a candid, cross-disciplinary conversation on how to move from pilot to practice responsibly and effectively.
Targeted Participants:
- Airport Operators
- Aviation Regulators
- Legal Experts
Key Discussion Points:
- What are the key values to adopting such technologies?
- What are the key concerns and obstacles in adoption?
- In the absence of certification and regulatory approval at the early stages, how might this be adopted?
AIRPORT DIALOGUES - SPECIAL SESSION by McKinsey
Senior Executive Roundtable Hosted and moderated by World-leading Consultancy McKinsey
This exclusive roundtable session will bring together top executives from airports, airport authorities, government authorities and selected organisations for a high-level, closed-door discussion.
Stay tuned with us for more updates!
(*by invitation only)
AIRPORT DIALOGUES - SPECIAL SESSION by ARUP
Airports across the world face the challenge of accommodating growth at the same time as providing operational excellence. How best to expand and modernise terminals while ensuring that today’s passengers enjoy a seamless journey? Major terminal projects span multiple years, and it is critical to ensure satisfied travellers, smooth operations and steady commercial performance during these periods.
This roundtable, moderated by a renowned aviation expert Regine Weston, Arup Fellow, brings together leading voices to explore how airports can successfully deliver large-scale construction projects while simultaneously improving the passenger experience and maintaining operational excellence. Through real-world case studies, we will examine strategies for achieving this delicate balance and the lessons learned along the way.
Target Participants
- Airport operators
- Architects
- Aviation stakeholders involved in terminal development and passenger experience
Key Discussion Points
- How airports can sustain and enhance passenger experience during major construction phases
- Strategies for keeping efficient operations while navigating disruption
- Approaches to infrastructure development that deliver long-term transformation
- Aligning priorities across customer experience, operations, and infrastructure to achieve simultaneous improvement