2025 Highlights
Watch the key moments from APEX FTE EMEA & Ancillary & Retailing 2025 in Dublin.
2025 Interviews and Testimonials
Hear what our attendees had to say about their experience in Dublin.

“It has been very valuable for us to network with our airport partners here at APEX FTE Dublin, as well listening into what the future is going to be bringing us, considering the customer experience and evolution of the airport environment. We also had a chance to meet with some service providers, which may be contributing to our products and offers. So, it’s a great opportunity to meet with stakeholders from the airport environment and exchange ideas. In terms of networking, I think it’s wonderful that we are given the opportunity to set up some catch-up times with the other attendees, and it gives us an opportunity to meet with senior executives of the airports and other companies too. I’m pleased that we’ve been attending APEX FTE Dublin for a long time now and we will hopefully be back again next year.”

“APEX FTE Dublin is always one of my favourite events on the calendar. The level of attendees, customers, contacts and prospects that we meet is always one of the best in the industry. We’ve had fantastic conversations this year with attendees from all over the world – Canada, the US, all over Europe, and more. So, it's been absolutely fantastic for us. The quality of attendees is brilliant and definitely at the right level – typically Director level or C-suite. APEX FTE Dublin not only gives you the opportunity to present your products and services to the right people, it also allows us to discuss industry trends and really understand what’s happening in the market broadly at a global level. The social and networking events are also something FTE does really well, helping to build relationships. APEX FTE Dublin is one of our staple events in the EMEA region. We will look at FTE’s other events around the world too, as we have a global market and a global customer base.”

“It’s been fantastic attending APEX FTE Dublin and interacting with the many different airlines and airports attending here. We’ve had some insightful conversations, showing customers what we can do in the aviation industry. There have been a lot of senior executives here at the event, and we are really impressed with the conversations that we’ve had. Having the networking opportunities at the social events has also been really good. We’ve had some great, insightful conversations with all the different airlines and airports that are here. We also attended FTE Global last year – we’ll be looking to attend FTE Global again later this year, as well as being back at APEX FTE Dublin in 2026.”

“APEX FTE Dublin has been fantastic. We’ve had a lot of very good conversations, particularly with representatives of airlines and airports. There are some great social and networking events as well, which have been the perfect opportunity to break the ice. We used the event app quite a lot beforehand to understand who was attending and what their interests and roles were. We did a lot of outreach to them, to let them know that we'd be here and received a very good response. So, we’ve had a lot of visitors to our booth, who are very specifically the people that we wanted to reach – it’s been great for us. We will come back to APEX FTE Dublin. We were here last year as well and have really enjoyed the event again. It has been very productive – we’ve had some great conversations with some very valuable, potential customers and partners, so we are very much looking forward to future FTE events.”






A gathering of air transport’s digital and innovation leaders, creative designers and progressive minds, who will inspire one another and reimagine travel together.
Airlines go premium for free
APEX FTE EMEA, co-located with Ancillary & Retailing, returns to Dublin, reinforcing its position as the region’s premier air transport innovation event. Known for its unparalleled energy, engaging atmosphere, and diverse audience, APEX FTE EMEA is where the industry gathers to prepare for and shape the future of travel.
This boutique event is carefully crafted to create a high-quality, senior-level gathering in an intimate environment, fostering meaningful connections, one-to-one networking, and collaborative discussions. The 2025 theme, ‘Innovate to Elevate’, will challenge attendees to think beyond the status quo, focusing on harnessing creativity and innovation to take the air transport industry to new heights.
This high-level three-day event is dedicated to new thinking and concepts, and combines an exhibition, extensive social activities, conference sessions, interactive workshops, pitch sessions and awards with turbo-charged networking. It will look at innovation holistically and explore the most exciting ways in which technology, digital, design, unique partnerships and collaboration can break new ground in the areas of operations, customer experience, commercial, product, service, safety and sustainability.
📢 Agenda Now Live
The full conference agendas for APEX FTE EMEA and Ancillary & Retailing are now available. Dive into a packed programme of cutting-edge sessions, exclusive presentations, pioneering case studies, and innovation pitches.
Stay tuned—more exciting updates are on the way!
Conference highlights include:

Ryanair Keynote Session
Ryanair will deliver an exclusive deep dive keynote session, sharing its latest strategies and innovations across airport operations, inflight services, digital platforms, and commercial growth. With exclusive contributions from John Hurley, Chief Technology Officer; Tom Kelly, Director – Ground Operations; Sinead Quinn, Director of Inflight; and Greg O’Gorman, Director of Ancillary Revenue, this powerhouse session promises to offer unmissable insight into how Ryanair is redefining the future of travel – and what it expects from its partners to support its continued success.
View full details >>
Booking.com Special Presentation on Technology & AI
Morna McAulay, Director of Trips Data Engineering, Booking.com, will deliver a special presentation titled “How Booking.com is successfully tapping into the power of technology, including AI”. She will share exclusive insights into how one of the world’s leading digital travel companies is leveraging technology and innovation to transform travel in 2025 and beyond and enhance its “everything but the stay” offerings – including flights, rental cars, airport taxis, attractions, and insurance.
View full details >>
Exclusive Ted Christie keynote confirmed: An industry first in a time of transformation
We are delighted to announce an exclusive keynote by Ted Christie, former President and CEO of Spirit Airlines. For the last half-decade, Christie led America’s seventh largest airline and the largest ultra low-cost carrier of its kind globally. Spirit defined the sweet spot between low-cost efficiency and elevated experience, with Big Front Seats offering comfort comparable to U.S. first class and European business class with GoComfy-style blocked middle seats. Christie will share bold insights on guest empowerment, emotional loyalty, and ancillary commercial reinvention, followed by a fireside conversation and open audience Q&A with APEX FTE Group CEO Dr. Joe Leader.
View full details >>
Meta to deliver keynote on unlocking the potential of XR and immersive experiences
Bastian Schütz, Head of XR in Travel at Meta, will deliver a presentation titled ‘Elevating Aviation: Unlocking the potential of Extended Reality & Immersive Experiences’. In this keynote, Meta will explore the vast potential of Virtual and Mixed Reality in aviation, including enhanced training, improved operations, and revolutionary inflight experiences. Get ready to discover how these technologies are poised to transform the industry.
View full details >>
IAG to share exclusive insights on new IAGi Accelerator and Ventures
International Airlines Group (IAG) will also take to the stage to share how its newly launched IAGi accelerator and corporate venture initiatives will drive transformative innovation across its airline group. In this keynote, Nacho Tovar, Head of Corporate Venture Capital at IAG, will provide exclusive insights into how IAG is identifying, investing in, and scaling breakthrough technologies to create smarter, more sustainable and passenger-focused travel experiences across its global airline portfolio.
View full details >>
How Ireland brought low-fare travel to the world – a fireside chat with Tom Lyons
Tom Lyons, author of Aer Dogs, will share how a pioneering group of Irish entrepreneurs transformed global aviation by championing low-fare air travel – sharing the bold decisions, cultural mindset, and key lessons that continue to shape the industry today. In a special fireside chat as part of the Day 1 Closing Keynote Session, Tom Lyons and FTE Chief Operating Officer Ryan Ghee will explore how a pioneering group of Irish entrepreneurs transformed global aviation by championing low-fare air travel – sharing the bold decisions, cultural mindset, and key lessons that continue to shape the industry today.
View full details >>Key Topics to be Addressed in the Conference
Explore how cutting-edge technology and innovation will shape the future of air transport.
Embracing New Technology & Digital Transformation
Laying the Foundations for an Automated Future
Innovative Approaches to Minimising Disruption
Creating Unique & Memorable Customer Experiences
Baggage Innovation Summit: Enhancing Delivery
FTE EMEA Innovate Awards Pitch Sessions & Finale
Conferences
There will be a series of conferences featuring industry leaders, technology giants, disruptors, parallel industries, academia and startups from around the world, who will focus on innovation efforts around digital transformation, customer experience, commercial revenues, inflight innovation, operational efficiency, baggage, identity, future airports and sustainability.
APEX FTE EMEA Exhibition
The APEX FTE EMEA exhibition provides a perfect platform to view under one roof the latest products, solutions and services that can help redefine the end-to-end passenger experience, optimise operational efficiency & sustainability efforts, and create new commercial propositions both on the ground and in-flight. The expo floor will also showcase our largest ever gathering of startups with disruptive concepts and technology.
The FTE EMEA Innovate Awards
Now in their third edition, the FTE EMEA Innovate Awards have quickly established themselves as the epicentre of our event and the ultimate platform for recognising those driving the air transport industry forward across Europe, the Middle East, and Africa.
Following the success of our 2023 and 2024 editions, where leading companies such as International Airlines Group (IAG), Turkish Airlines, Air France, flydubai, Lufthansa Group, Qatar Airways, Fraport, Aeroporti di Roma, Schiphol Group, Galeri AG, Content Trip Solutions (Smartvel), ZestIoT, and more took part, this landmark competition has gone from strength to strength, with another successful edition in 2025.
Once again, airlines, airports, startups, and established vendors from across the EMEA region will compete head-to-head with their peers to showcase game-changing innovations. With three distinct categories, participants will present their initiatives live on stage, with expert judges and the audience determining the winners.
Whether you’re an airline, airport, established vendor or startup, we want to hear from you. The three categories are:
- Best New CX Concept (open to vendors and startups only)
- Most Innovative Airline Initiative (open to airlines only)
- Most Innovative Airport Initiative (open to airports only)

Also Incorporating

Multiple co-located events, and meetings, to create a record attendance

Extensive social programme – multiple networking activities outside of the RDS

AI-powered networking app - to drive new connections and collaborations
Exhibit at APEX FTE EMEA, Ancillary & Retailing 2025
FTE brings together the brightest minds in aviation and travel innovation to shape the future of the industry and tackle its biggest challenges.
Our events connect trailblazers, decision-makers, airlines, airports, tech visionaries, and service providers across the global travel ecosystem.
Transform the future with us:
- Showcase your solutions on a global stage and demonstrate how you can revolutionise the passenger experience.
- Collaborate with the industry’s most disruptive innovators and forward-thinking organisations.
- Elevate your brand with curated opportunities to engage with key decision-makers, influencers, and prospective partners.
Testimonials
Co-located with FTE Ancillary & Retailing
This show is where the world’s of digital, commercial & CX collide and when you join us in Dublin you will also get access to these other co-located events taking place simultaneously at the RDS
Visit FTE Ancillary & Retailing website >>
APEX Future Travel Experience EMEA
Future Travel Experience EMEA will be co-located with FTE Ancillary & Retailing.
Date: - June 2025
Location: RDS, Merrion Road, Ballsbridge, Dublin 4, Ireland