World Aviation Festival 2025, the global stage for aviation innovation, strategy and transformation, took off yesterday in Lisbon. Until October 9th, more than 4,500 global leaders from across the aviation industry will gather at the Feira Internacional de Lisboa, while over 600 speakers, including CEOs and other C-Level executives of the biggest aviation players, will share their expertise on stage. Visitors will also be able to meet and learn about the latest developments in aviation from more than 400 travel tech companies in the exhibition area. In the more than 85 sessions celebrated on the first day of the event, speakers have covered topics including artificial intelligence, sustainability, digital transformation, cybersecurity, regulation, diversity, disruption management, and loyalty programmes.

United and Instacart, today launched a new collaboration that gives the airline’s loyalty members even more ways to save time, earn rewards, and unlock exclusive benefits when they shop with Instacart. In a first for an airline, Instacart is offering United MileagePlus members $0 delivery fees* on orders placed right before, during or shortly after they take a domestic flight – making it effortless to replace forgotten items on the go or restock their fridge the moment they arrive home. Additionally, MileagePlus members who link their United MileagePlus and Instacart accounts can also enjoy mileage rewards across a variety of offers found at United.com/Instacart. This new suite of benefits builds on United’s existing relationship with Instacart; earlier this year, United and Chase refreshed their portfolio of co-branded credit cards and announced Instacart benefits for eligible Chase United Cardmembers.

Riyadh Air, the new national carrier of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, announced a new partnership with Kayanee, a leading Saudi wellbeing brand, to bring a fresh sense of comfort and care to the skies. The collaboration will upscale in-flight comfort by offering Riyadh Air’s Business Elite, Business, and Premium Economy long-haul guests a specially designed collection of amenity kits and loungewear, aimed at refreshing and rejuvenating travelers from take-off to landing.

Emirates has opened a new world-class facility in Dubai, to provide a luxurious training experience to almost 25,000 cabin crew, focused on the art of hospitality excellence. The USD 8 million learning zone and programme features a sprawling restaurant and lounge for up to 170 guests, elegant presentation kitchens and 8 tech-enabled classrooms. More than 10,000 Emirates cabin crew will be trained in the new facility by the end of the year.

Qatar Airways is now providing access to 18 additional routes in the United States through expanded codeshares with its International Airlines Group (IAG) partners, Aer Lingus and LEVEL. With the latest enhancements, Qatar Airways has strengthened its partnership with IAG and its carriers to expand global connectivity between the Americas, Europe, and the Middle East. Following the successful codeshare launch with Aer Lingus in 2024, Qatar Airways has grown its partnership with Aer Lingus to share code on the Irish carrier’s flights from Dublin Airport (DUB) to 11 U.S. cities, including Boston, Bradley International in Connecticut, Cleveland, Indianapolis, Minneapolis, Nashville, Newark, Orlando, Philadelphia, and soon to Las Vegas.

Emirates and flydubai have signed two Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) with Dubai Finance (DOF) to advance digital payment initiatives and promote ‘Dubai Cashless Strategy’ among international tourists, cementing the city’s position as a global digital economy hub. With over 18.7 million tourists visiting Dubai in 2024, cash-reliant travellers represent the emirate’s greatest untapped potential for digital payment adoption. Two separate MoUs were signed by Adnan Kazim, Emirates’ Deputy President and Chief Commercial Officer and Hamad Obaidalla, flydubai’s Chief Commercial Officer with Ahmad Ali Meftah, Executive Director of the Central Accounts Sector at DOF, in the presence of His Highness Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, Chairman and Chief Executive, Emirates Airline & Group, His Excellency Abdulrahman Saleh Al Saleh, Director General of DOF along with senior Emirates Group and flydubai executives.