IATA World Sustainability Symposium 2026 - Driving the industry's energy transition forward

The IATA World Sustainability Symposium is returning to Europe this year, and to the center of policymaking in the region, Brussels. 

The 2026 edition of the WSS, which will take place from 13-14 October, will focus on air transport’s energy transition and how to bring about the needed system transformation to deliver that ambitious agenda. With CORSIA now in its 10^th year, we will also put a spotlight on its achievements and how to accelerate its impact. The WSS will explore and assess progress on other solutions that are necessary for the airline industry to achieve net-zero CO2 emissions by 2050.

The aim of the WSS is to be the place where policies are scrutinized and reconfigured to have the greatest practical impact on production levels and emissions reductions, at the lowest possible cost. For this we need a system approach that brings all parts of government (energy, treasury, agriculture, trade, transport, and more) and all key stakeholders from across the aviation sector together to develop the policies and solutions that will:

• Safeguard global civil aviation in the interest of peace and prosperity for all, aligned with the foundational principles of the Chicago Convention
• Preserve the multilateral world order governing civil aviation, and combat wilful fragmentation which unnecessarily increases costs, complexity, and inefficiencies
• Enable the global energy transition for all, and grow the SAF market for air transport
• Safeguard CORSIA and generate more climate finance for emerging nations
• Promote economic development, build new markets and industries, and create more jobs
• Promote innovation and risk transfer across the entire renewable energy ecosystem
• Bring practical policies to the fore and build essential market infrastructure so that new energy and carbon credit markets can scale, at speed

We hope you can join the 500+ delegates at this year’s event. We are busy building a packed 2-day agenda which will incorporate contributions from key policymakers, financiers, industry leaders – including airports, airlines and ANSPs, sustainability professionals, and thought leaders from across the air transport industry.

As in previous editions, our IATA Strategic Partners (SPs) in the Sustainability area of involvement are entitled to two complimentary passes to the WSS. Additionally, all SPs from other areas of involvement (including Fuel and Economics) can take advantage of a significant discount to attend this event.  Working together, we can deliver a more sustainable future for aviation.

Furthermore, Sustainability SPs will have the opportunity to join an invitation-only event to be held in conjunction with the IATA WSS 2026.  The event will take place on Monday 12 October, 16:00-18:30 at the DoubleTree by Hilton Brussels City hotel.  It will bring together Members of the Integrated Sustainability Program (ISP), IATA Strategic Partners, and selected guests for an evening of networking and a glimpse into the Integrated Sustainability Program.

This year we are pleased to offer our WSS delegates, free access to the IATA Wings of Change Europe, which  will be held in the same venue on 15 October.  The WOCE will give a full 360° view on all of the major policy issues and developments within Europe.

Registrations are now open. Come to connect, collaborate, and contribute to air transport's sustainability imperative, while expanding your network, forging new partnerships, and gaining actionable insights. 

Author: Marie Owens Thomsen
SVP Sustainability and Chief Economist