GATE FUTURE 2026 - Airport Industry Innovation Conference

Where Innovation
Takes Off.

To mark its 10th anniversary, GATE FUTURE – the Airport Industry Innovation Conference – builds on a decade of ideas, progress, and collaboration in the airport industry. In Hamburg, one of the world's largest civil aviation hubs, GATE FUTURE brings together technology pioneers and operational experts to explore the strategies, partnerships, and solutions shaping the airports of tomorrow.

Where Innovation Meets the Future of Airports

As airports worldwide face growing pressure to increase efficiency, accelerate innovation, and meet rising passenger expectations, GATE FUTURE provides a platform for the professionals shaping this transformation.

This year, against a backdrop of global disruption and increasing volatility, we ask: how do airports build resilience? How do they remain adaptive? How do they stay ready – for whatever comes next? And how do they ensure that passenger convenience is not lost along the way?

A curated programme of keynotes, panel discussions and workshops brings the spirit of innovation to life, turning ideas into practical approaches and actionable insights.

View Programme

90 min · Workshop

Reimagining Airport Operations with EDAG CityBot

Airport Partner Fraport Ground Services Frankfurt, Germany

Holistic engineering – from product to high-end digital twins. Where the modular CityBot platform meets airport realities, with a case study from Fraport.

Contributing Speakers

Makso Zabarac – Senior Sales Manager, EDAG
Jörg Gehrmann – VP Sales, EDAG
Gerhard Koerbel – Product Owner CityBot, EDAG
Eric Agthe – Fraport Ground Services

60 min · Workshop

Flow Control – ULD & Cart Logistics Goes Digital

Airport Partner London Heathrow London, UK

A new digital platform – think "Uber for ground handlers" – co-developed with Heathrow and tested live this autumn. Replacing WhatsApp and Excel with a real-time interface between baggage and fleet management systems.

Contributing Speakers

Jamie Ratcliffe – Senior Baggage Product Development Manager, Heathrow Airport
Dennis Dalman – Innovations Manager, BEUMER Group

60 min · Workshop

AI for Complete Ground Handling Data

Airport Partner Fraport (TBC) Frankfurt, Germany

Small Language Models that synthesise missing timestamps in ground handling – a real data-quality problem that affects analysis, staffing and downstream AI at every airport.

Contributing Speakers

Tobias Keßler – Head of Operations Process Digitalization & Automation, Atos
Marius Kiskemper – Data Engineer, SLM, Atos
Dennis Stein – VP Logistics, Fraport (TBC)
Anne-Marie Bachmann – IT Delivery Manager AI, Fraport (TBC)

60 min · Workshop

Airport Lighting for Passenger Well-Being

Airport Partner Dortmund Airport 21 Dortmund, Germany

The Chronolite approach: adaptive, science-based lighting across the full passenger journey – terminal to aircraft – to reduce stress and jet lag, and turn lighting from infrastructure into a strategic experience tool.

Contributing Speakers

Dr. Achim Leder – Managing Partner, jetlite GmbH
Guido Miletic – Dortmund Airport 21 (TBC)

90 min · Workshop

AI in the Mid-Market – Europe's AI Moment for Airports

Format Industry-led Open to all airport teams

Beyond the vision: a five-step framework for operationalising AI in complex, regulated organisations. Featuring the Lenze transformation as a working case study, plus a guided self-assessment for participants.

Contributing Speakers

Annekatrin Konermann – Manager AI & Implementation, Lenze
Dr. Moritz Belling – Family Shareholder, Lenze

60 min · Workshop

Making GSE Pooling a Success

Airport Partner Düsseldorf Airport Düsseldorf, Germany

Sharing ground support equipment across handlers – transparently and reliably. A first-hand look at the centralised non-motorised pool at Düsseldorf with 700+ units, SmartFLEET telematics, and the trust framework that makes it work.

Contributing Speakers