The symposium will examine the evolving liability landscape faced by airlines, including traditional insured risks as well as emerging compliance areas such as ESG, greenwashing, taxation, data privacy, and artificial intelligence. These issues will be discussed against a backdrop of changing approaches to consumer protection, trade tariffs, and geopolitics.
“Internationally agreed airline liability principles are facing growing pressure from divergent national measures, which risk undermining the uniform application of the international liability treaties and their benefits to connectivity. The challenges this creates for airlines, who must navigate through these inconsistencies to support global operations, will be at the heart of discussions at this year’s WLS,” said Leslie MacIntosh, Corporate Secretary and Acting General Counsel of IATA.
“New regulations, emerging technologies, and evolving societal expectations create strategic challenges in airline operations today. As Poland’s national carrier, we are pleased to welcome an event bringing together leading aviation law experts, regulators, and industry representatives to jointly identify and address the complexities ahead,” said Michał Fijoł, President and CEO of LOT Polish Airlines.
The World Legal Symposium programme will include sessions on managing geopolitical exposures related to trade, tariffs, sanctions, and insurance; developments in consumer protection frameworks; the intersection of artificial intelligence and competition law; and evolving freight forwarder liability.
The event will open with a welcome address and keynote speech by Michał Fijoł. Confirmed speakers include Barry Alexander, Bartholomew J. Banino, Ricardo Bernardi, Alix d’Arjuzon, Michael Gill, Brian Hedberg, Claudia Hess, Imants Jansons, Michelle Johnson, Anna Konert, Agnieszka Kunert-Diallo, Robert Lawson KC, Iva Savic, Andrea Tang, and Zoe Tite.
“The program and speakers we have lined up for WLS 2026 continue a long tradition of addressing the most pressing issues for the aviation legal community. By gathering in-house experts, private practitioners, and government legal advisers, WLS is a unique opportunity for a professional dialogue that unpacks aviation law’s most relevant issues so that we are all better prepared to more effectively mitigate evolving risks,” added Leslie MacIntosh.
Tags Michał Fijoł, LOT Polish Airlines Leslie MacIntosh, IATA.
