“He said to them, ‘But now if you have a purse, take it, and also a bag; and if you don’t have a sword, sell your cloak and buy one.'” — Luke 22:36
The theme of this year’s Airport Innovation Roundtable conference (AIR 2026) focuses on resilience, security, and geostrategy. This is underscored by our agenda, which features, among others, a keynote address by a NATO General.
Someone might rightly ask: what has happened since 2023? That year, Aziz Abu Sarah, a Palestinian peace activist, stood on the AIR stage and spoke about the transformative power of travel. Sometimes these journeys can be taken within oneself, but most often they must involve physically crossing borders. Often you have to travel very far to better understand yourself and your surroundings, and sometimes it is enough to visit a neighbor to better understand the world.
Have we abandoned that vision? No. We still believe in it, perhaps now more than ever. We believe that aviation is inherently on the side of good, building bridges that foster peace. Without global connectivity, the world would be a far darker, more isolated, and dangerous place.
But we are not naive.
Although Jesus spoke constantly of peace, as the end of his mission drew near, he gathered his disciples and told them to buy swords. He knew the road ahead would be dangerous.
We haven’t changed our values; we are complementing our message. As Margaret Thatcher famously remarked, no one would remember the Good Samaritan if he’d only had good intentions—he also needed to have the financial means to help. To set out on a journey, we must take care of ourselves. To protect what we love and care for others, we must first ensure that our own industry is capable, resilient, and economically stable.
We must ensure we are capable of defending ourselves physically against terrorist threats and hybrid tactics. We must defend ourselves in the virtual world against sophisticated cyberattacks. Hybrid attacks means very often relentless information warfare aimed at defaming our industry, our countries, and our leaders.
True resilience is the combination of this defensive capability with robust economic stability. At AIR 2026, we will discuss how to navigate a world where resilience is no longer a buzzword.
Some might ask: “But where is the innovation in all this tough talk?”
Admittedly, “innovation” is one of the most overused, hollowed-out words in modern business. But as Walter Isaacson—the biographer of Steve Jobs, Leonardo da Vinci, and Elon Musk—wrote: today, innovations rarely happen in the quiet of a laboratory or a single person’s garage. Today, innovation is the result of many people meeting, clashing, and exchanging views.
That is exactly why we refuse to let AIR 2026 become just another corporate event filled with empty fluff. We want to create a place for raw, honest exchange. We believe that in such an atmosphere, real ideas can grow. And that is how true innovation is born.
Andrzej Gniadkowski, Managing Director V4+ Airports Association.