The International Air Transport Association (IATA) will hold the joint World Financial Symposium (WFS) and World Passenger Symposium (WPS) on 5–6 November 2025 in Istanbul, Türkiye, hosted by Turkish Airlines. The event brings together leaders across retailing, finance, payments, and digital identity.

“Aviation is on the cusp of a major transformation. New retailing models, disruptive payment technologies, and digital identity are reshaping how airlines serve customers and run their businesses. CFOs will be at the center of this shift, ensuring the financial strategies, systems, and investments align with the industry’s future. IATA WFS/WPS is a unique opportunity to take stock of these changes, learn from those at the cutting edge of innovation, and align strategies,” said Sandrine Le Borgne, IATA Senior Vice President, Corporate Services & CFO.

“Turkish Airlines is glad to host the joint IATA WFS/WPS in Istanbul, our home city. As the airline that connects more countries than any other, we are committed to leading the transformation of passenger travel and stay at the forefront of the industry regarding innovation in finance, digital identity, and retailing which are central to offer smarter, simpler and more comfortable journey worldwide,” said Turkish Airlines Chief Financial Officer and Member of the Board of Directors and the Executive Committee Assoc. Prof. Murat Şeker.

“Aligning change to customer expectations is critical. At WFS/WPS 2025 we will reveal key insights from the latest IATA Global Passenger Survey (GPS). From past surveys we know that passengers care about how they shop and pay for travel and that they are eager for technology to make their travel better. So, we’ll use the GPS to help the industry unlock the value of innovation in digital identity, payments, and retailing,” said Nick Careen, IATA Senior Vice President, Operations, Safety and Security.

Program Highlights

The Symposium will open with keynotes from Turkish Airlines Chairman of the Board and the Executive Committee Prof. Ahmet Bolat and Le Borgne followed by a series of sessions. Program highlights include:

2025 Global Passenger Survey Results: Exclusive Insights into traveler priorities.

Why Payment Should Be on Your Board Agenda: Tackling the USD 22 billion cost burden.

Putting the Customer First: Unlocking value through finance, retailing, and operations.

In addition, three specialized tracks will dive deeper into:

Offers & Orders in the Making: Airline case studies and IT vendor insights on how AI and legacy-free systems are transforming retailing and customer experience.

Payment & Finance to Order: How airlines, payment providers, and corporate clients are modernizing payments and shifting revenue accounting to order accounting, tackling pain points, innovation, and standards

Digital Identity & Orders: Using digital identity and biometrics to streamline border processes, enable personalization, and improve disruption management, with airline and government innovations.

Speakers

·       Gary Liu, CEO, Antom, Ant International

·       Tamur Goudarzi Pour, EVP Strategy and Member of the Executive Committee, Lufthansa Group

·       Christine Rovelli, Chief Revenue Officer, Finnair

·       Prof. Murat Seker, Chief Financial Officer, Member of the Board of Directors and the Executive Committee, Turkish Airlines

·       Kerem Kiziltunc, Chief Information Technology Officer, Turkish Airlines