Who are the innovators in the region taking this industry to greater heights? You decide.
The FTE EMEA Innovate Awards
Now in their third edition, the FTE EMEA Innovate Awards have quickly established themselves as the epicentre of our event and the ultimate platform for recognising those driving the air transport industry forward.
Following the success of our 2023 and 2024 editions, where leading companies such as International Airlines Group (IAG), Turkish Airlines, Air France, flydubai, Lufthansa Group, Qatar Airways, Fraport, Aeroporti di Roma, Schiphol Group, Galeri AG, Content Trip Solutions (Smartvel), ZestIoT, and more took part, this landmark competition has gone from strength to strength, with another successful edition in 2025. Once again, airlines, airports, startups, and established vendors will compete head-to-head with their peers to showcase game-changing innovations. With three distinct categories, participants will present their initiatives live on stage, with expert judges and the audience determining the winners.
Whether you’re an airline, airport, established vendor or startup, we want to hear from you. The three categories are Best New CX Concept (open to vendors and startups only), Most Innovative Airline Initiative (open to airlines only), and Most Innovative Airport Initiative (open to airports only).
View the 2024 Award winners >>Awards categories:
The Best New CX Concept award is open to air transport industry vendors headquartered within the EMEA region. The judges will be looking for unique products and initiatives that display industry leadership. Concepts that truly deliver customer experience enhancement and more choice to passengers will be awarded maximum credit. The judges will also be looking to see if the concepts deliver benefits for the industry in the areas of Operational Efficiency, Commercial Performance and Sustainability, which are very pertinent to the sector.
- Please describe the CX concept and how it came to be?
- Has the concept gone live yet?
- What is innovative about the concept?
- Can you provide any tangible results that prove the success of this initiative?
- What do you perceive to be the long-term impact of this concept?
- To what extent did budgets, R&D and resources impact this initiative?
- How much collaboration was needed internally, and with other stakeholders, to develop and roll this initiative out?
- What are the key learnings, if any, from this project that other industry stakeholders could benefit from?
- What benefits, if any, does your concept deliver in the areas of Operational Efficiency, Commercial Performance and Sustainability in the air transport industry?
If your submission is successful, can you commit to pitch your idea to our judges and audience at FTE EMEA in Dublin on 10-12 June 2025?
Please attach any relevant documents to support your submission.
The Most Innovative Airline Initiative award is open to commercial airlines headquartered within the EMEA region. In order to qualify, the initiative must have gone live during or after January 2023. The judges will be looking for unique initiatives that display industry leadership and have delivered tangible benefits since being introduced. Initiatives that have delivered benefits in the following areas will be awarded extra credit: Operational Efficiency, Customer Experience, Commercial Performance and Sustainability.
- Please describe the initiative and how it came to be?
- When did the initiative go live within your organisation?
- What is innovative about the initiative?
- Can you provide any tangible results that prove the success of this initiative?
- What do you perceive to be the long-term impact of this innovation?
- To what extent did budgets and resources impact this initiative?
- How much collaboration was needed internally, and with other stakeholders, to develop and roll this initiative out?
- Is this initiative something that could scale across your organisation further, and perhaps the wider industry?
- What are the key learnings from this project that others could take into their organisation?
- What benefits, if any, does your initiative deliver on Operational Efficiency, Customer Experience, Commercial Performance and/or Sustainability for your airline?
If your submission is successful, can you commit to pitch your idea to our judges and audience at FTE EMEA in Dublin on 10-12 June 2025?
Please attach any relevant documents to support your submission.
The Most Innovative Airport Initiative award is open to airports headquartered within the EMEA region. To qualify, the initiative must have gone live during or after January 2023. The judges will be looking for unique initiatives that display industry leadership and have delivered tangible benefits since being introduced. Initiatives that have delivered benefits in the following areas will be awarded extra credit: Operational Efficiency, Customer Experience, Commercial Performance and Sustainability.
- Please describe the initiative and how it came to be?
- When did the initiative go live within your organisation?
- What is innovative about the initiative?
- Can you provide any tangible results that prove the success of this initiative?
- What do you perceive to be the long-term impact of this innovation?
- To what extent did budgets and resources impact this initiative?
- How much collaboration was needed internally, and with other stakeholders, to develop and roll this initiative out?
- Is this initiative something that could scale across your organisation further, and perhaps the wider industry?
- What are the key learnings from this project that others could take into their organisation?
- What benefit, if any, does your initiative deliver on sustainability, passenger experience, commercial performance and/or operational efficiency of your airport?
If your submission is successful, can you commit to pitch your idea to our judges and audience at FTE EMEA in Dublin on 10-12 June 2025?
Please attach any relevant documents to support your submission.
Awards criteria:
Click on a category above to view the criteria.
In all categories, extra credit will be awarded to efforts that deliver tangible benefits in the following areas: Operational Efficiency, Customer Experience, Commercial Performance and Sustainability.
Why you should enter the FTE Innovate Awards
The FTE Innovate Awards recognise and celebrate the best air transport industry innovations from across the Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) region. Successful entrants, including shortlisted companies and the overall winners, will receive huge recognition for their outstanding achievements through FTE’s media platforms in the months to come, and at Future Travel Experience EMEA, which will take place in Dublin on 10-12 June 2025.
Being part of these unique awards is beneficial for many reasons:
- Showcase your achievements – tell everyone about your success!
- Generate excellent PR opportunities
- Generate new business opportunities
- Receive validation for your team and organisation’s hard work
- Inspire the industry with your ideas and contribute to our mission of continually advancing the industry for the benefit of its passengers and stakeholders
If your submission makes the final shortlist, you will be invited to deliver a pitch to your industry peers and a panel of expert judges at FTE EMEA 2025 in Dublin on 10-12 June. The judging panel will provide immediate feedback and each member of the audience will vote for their favourite entry using the event app. In each category, the initiative with the most votes will be named the overall winner.
The overall winner in each category will be announced during the closing session of FTE EMEA in Dublin on the afternoon on 10 June 2025.
All submissions will be reviewed by the FTE team, select members of the FTE Advisory Board, and members of the FTE Innovate Awards judging panel. Those selected as finalists will be invited to deliver a pitch to their industry peers and the expert judging panel at FTE EMEA 2025 in Dublin on 10-12 June. The audience will vote for the winner in each category during the event.
If you are selected as a finalist and accept the invitation to deliver a pitch, your organisation will qualify for one complimentary ticket for FTE EMEA to enjoy the show and pitch your submission on stage. Airline and airport finalists will also be offered a showcase spot on the exhibition floor to display the details of their shortlisted initiative and enable our audience to engage with them directly to learn more before casting their vote.
FTE will share details of the finalists and their initiatives in advance of FTE EMEA through our many communication platforms. Onsite at the event in Dublin there will be a dedicated pitch session for each category, during which the finalists will have time to make their case directly on stage to our judges and audience. The judges will share their immediate thoughts and comments on what they have heard, including who they think the winner should be in each category, before the members of the audience cast their all-important votes.
- Each entry may include a maximum of 10 appendices to support the submission
- Appendices are supporting evidence and must be relevant to your entry
- Any appendices too large to submit can be shared as a zip file using secure transfer sites such as wetransfer.com to kerry@futuretravelexperience.com
- Entries made after the deadline will not be accepted. For questions regarding this deadline, please contact kerry@futuretravelexperience.com
- Leave plenty of time to complete your entry to ensure it is of the highest quality and allow extra time for content to be signed off by your organisation internally
- Ensure you have the appropriate permissions to share the information provided in your submission
Spotlight on Previous Winners
In 2023 and 2024, standout initiatives took home the top prizes:
Most Innovative Airline Initiative
Winner: International Airlines Group (IAG) – EMU Mission Control
IAG’s EMU Mission Control integrates real-time data sources to improve operations, customer experience, commercial performance, and sustainability.
Most Innovative Airport Initiative
Winner: Fraport – Digital Crewshop
Fraport’s digital Crewshop offers airport employees an exclusive platform for retail purchases with convenience and future home delivery options.
Best New CX Concept
Winner: Galeri AG – Wellness-Driven XR Media Experience
Galeri AG’s XR media solution enhances mental well-being by combining XR technology, biofeedback sensors, and entertainment.