Two flagship gatherings central to IATA digitalisation, the World Financial Symposium and the World Passenger Symposium, convened in Macao as the organisation laid out its digitalisation priorities, with Modern Airline Retailing and secure digital travel credentials taking centre stage among the industry's near-term objectives.
The selection of Macao was itself notable. IATA notes that 2026 represents the first occasion both events have come to North Asia, a region where airlines serving it transported upwards of 770 million passengers in 2025, a figure that stands as a record for China's carriers alone.
What Sandrine Le Borgne Said in Macao
The opening address at both symposiums was delivered by Sandrine Le Borgne, IATA's Interim Director General, CFO and Senior Vice President, Corporate Services. Her remarks drew together two strands the industry has largely kept apart: the fundamental rethinking of how airlines construct and retail their products, and the expanding role of artificial intelligence throughout the customer journey.
"Offers and Orders are the foundation; AI is the accelerator. They need to move forward together as AI increasingly reshapes how travel is discovered, sold, and serviced," she said.
On China specifically, Le Borgne was direct: "China's leadership is not only about scale. It has also been at the forefront of digital innovation, changing how people shop, pay, and travel."
The State of Modern Airline Retailing
Modern Airline Retailing, built around the shift from legacy booking infrastructure to Offer and Order management, is moving from planning to practice. According to IATA, seven airlines are already live or actively implementing Orders, with more than 20 further carriers expected to follow from 2027 onwards.
The scale of financial commitment underpinning this transition is considerable. IT providers have together pledged in excess of US$1.7 billion towards Offers and Orders development, a sum that reflects broad industry confidence in the direction of travel, even as most carriers remain at an earlier point in the rollout.
You can check which airlines are participating and track their fleet details using our Airline Search tool.
Digital Passports and the Passenger Experience
IATA also drew attention to advances in secure digital travel credentials alongside the push for retailing reform. ICAO has established standards for digital passports via its Digital Travel Credential framework, and traveller enthusiasm appears considerable. Surveys found that over eight in ten passengers expressed interest in employing a digital passport at check-in, a level of appetite that, if it holds, would provide airlines and airports with a compelling justification for building out the necessary infrastructure.
For passengers, the practical appeal is straightforward: a verified digital credential used across the journey could reduce friction at check-in and border control. Whether that promise translates into widespread deployment will depend on how quickly governments and airports align with the standards ICAO has set.
Why Macao and Why Now
Holding both symposiums in North Asia for the first time reflects where aviation's centre of gravity is shifting. China's record passenger figures in 2025 are the clearest single illustration of that shift, but the broader picture is one of a region that has moved quickly on digital payments and mobile commerce in ways that give its carriers relevant experience in the kind of frictionless retailing IATA is now advocating globally.
The symposiums bring together the financial and commercial sides of the industry in the same place, which is a deliberate choice when the agenda is about connecting infrastructure investment to passenger outcomes.
The Bottom Line: IATA Digitalisation in Focus
IATA's Macao meetings put IATA digitalisation on a timetable rather than leaving it as a stated aspiration. With seven airlines already moving on Orders, more than 20 preparing to follow, and over US$1.7 billion committed by technology providers, the architecture of how airlines sell tickets and manage bookings is in active transition. The digital passport strand adds a passenger-facing dimension that could, in time, touch every traveller. Progress on both fronts is worth watching closely through 2027 and beyond.
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