INDIA. Bangalore International Airport Limited (BIAL) is to host the third Asia Pacific Travel Retail Association (APTRA) India conference on 25-27 March 2026 at Kempegowda International Airport Bengaluru (BLR).
APTRA President Sunil Tuli said: “Building on the success of the APTRA India conferences in 2024 and 2025, Bangalore International Airport Limited is the perfect host partner for an in-depth study into the future dynamics of the India market.
“Kempegowda International Airport Bengaluru has set new standards of excellence with a distinct industry-leading pivot to a guest-centric experience at the stunning Terminal 2 and with further ambitions to raise the bar higher.
“We are extremely grateful to [BIAL CCO] Kenneth Guldbjerg, Pravat Paikray [BIAL Vice President Commercial Development] and team for this collaboration and their unwavering support to APTRA.”
Guldbjerg commented, “Having attended both APTRA India conferences in 2024 and 2025 and witnessed the success, supported by the levels of industry engagement and participation, we are delighted to host APTRA 2026 at BLR.
“We look forward to welcoming the global travel retail community to an event that promises to be both innovative and memorable.”
Interested parties are invited to contact events@aptra.asia
As reported, BIAL will also host the 2026 edition of the Airport Food & Beverage (FAB) + Hospitality Conference and Awards in Bengaluru.
The news was announced at last week’s FAB Awards in Barcelona, with dates for next year to be confirmed soon.
In related news, APTRA today announced the appointment of highly respected travel retail veteran Rajiv Malhotra as General Manager Events and Membership.
APTRA said: “With a wealth of experience in travel retail, Rajiv is a respected industry veteran in the confectionery sector, having spent many years leading Mondelez in APAC and, most recently, with his own consultancy practice, which he continues to run. He also has considerable experience in hospitality and events management.
“Having him join APTRA strengthens our team considerably, enabling our ambitions to advance our support for the travel retail industry in Asia Pacific, especially with a programme of insightful events including the North East Asia Forum in Hong Kong in December 2025 and the APTRA India Conference 2026 in Bangalore.” ✈
