AmberSky is the only industry event that focuses on airline onboard retail. Sponsored by LSG Sky Chefs and AirFi, the 2026 edition was the biggest so far. It was held from February 17 to 19 in Riga, Latvia.
As food is a core element of the onboard experience, traditional catering featured in AmberSky 2026.
Aleksejs Romanovs, a member of AmberSky’s organising committee, explained that airlines looking to transform their onboard retail offering can anticipate making expert contacts, gaining know-how and exposure to products and relevant technology.
The event featured a three-day sales and service training for cabin crew, culminating in a gala dinner and awards night. Participating cabin crew members had opportunities to win awards across multiple categories.
Gülnihal Balaban, from SunExpress, was named the AmberSky Sales Star person of 2026. The Austrian Airlines team of Anne Karina Krönke and Thomas Borbely were the AmberSky Sales Star team gold winners. Meanwhile, Ajmal was named the Supplier of AmberSky 2026. A full list of winners can be viewed on the AmberSky website.
Airlines could each bring two or four cabin crew members. The training could be observed, so sending service instructors was recommended, so that best practices can be adopted.
Almost all airlines from the 2025 edition of AmberSky returned in 2026. Those present included airBaltic, British Airways, Eurowings, Icelandair, Lufthansa, Norwegian, SunExpress and LOT Polish Airlines.
Suppliers attending AmberSky’s 2026 edition included AirFi, Bottega, Carlsberg Group, Diageo, Heinemann, Hanse Distribution, Heineken, Garcia Carrion, Inflight Sales Group, LSG Group and Piccini.
The launch of the Global Inflight Retail Association (GIRA) was revealed on the show’s final day. It is positioned as a step towards bringing airlines and inflight retail stakeholders closer, creating a more structured way to share knowledge, to align on common challenges and shape the future of inflight retail collaboratively.
“What makes AmberSky unique is the mix: a curated meeting schedule that actually gives airlines time to talk to the right people, a strong conference programme, hands-on retail and catering discussions and an atmosphere that blends serious business with great catering, fun and a touch of glamour — all in one tightly connected show,” said Romanovs.
“AmberSky is free to attend for airline delegates, built around your reality, and designed to give you ideas, contacts and insights you can actually use,” added Romanovs.
The provisional dates for the 2027 event are February 2-4.
