Minister Patel completes “outstanding” speaker line-up at upcoming Investor Summit

"Minister Patel joins a star-studded list of speakers at this investor 'Davos of Aviation' event in India", said Kapil Kaul, the Centre's CEO Indian Subcontinent & Middle East. "This is by far the best and most exciting group of speakers ever convened for an international aviation event in India. Delegates will gain extraordinarily valuable insights at the Investor Summit from this outstanding assembly of international and local speakers".

• The confirmed speaker list includes:
• Stelios Haji-Ioannou, Founder and Chairman of easyGroup,
• Tony Fernandes, AirAsia, CEO;
• Adel Ali, Air Arabia, CEO;
• Jim Parker, Managing Director, Raymond James;
• James Wilson, CEO, Nakheel;
• Dr Abdulaziz Y. Al-Babutain, Director General - Transportation Sector, Saudi Arabian General Investment Authority;
• Wolfgang Prock-Schauer, CEO, Jet Airways;
• Dr Prathap Ramanujam, Secretary, Sri Lanka Ministry of Tourism;
• Ajay Singh, Director, SpiceJet;
• George Bellew, CEO, Oman Airports Management Authority;
• Captain Gopinath, Managing Director, Air Deccan;
• Kiran Kumar Grandhi, Managing Director, Hyderabad International Airport;
• Jeh Wadia, Managing Director, Go Air;
• Manav Singh, Managing Director, Club One Air;
• Isabelle Kayaloff, Director, IJK & Associates.

According to Mr Kaul, the Indian aviation market is experiencing "rampant" growth - providing tremendous opportunities for investors. The Centre projects that domestic air traffic will expand at 25% per annum, and international traffic at 15% per annum, through to 2010, generating demand for similar increases in airport capacity, aircraft availability, staff training and ancillary services.

Such has been the recent strong growth, that aircraft manufacturers, Airbus and Boeing, have significantly boosted their 20-year sales forecasts to Indian carriers in recent years. Boeing has gone from predicting 250 aircraft would be required over 20 years in 2002 to just under 600, while Airbus recently upgraded its forecast to 950 - more than a three-fold increase from its forecast at the start of the decade.

Airbus vs Boeing 20-year Aircraft Sales Forecasts for India (2002 to 2006)

Boeing and Airbus graph" width="500" height="265" />

Source: Centre for Asia Pacific Aviation

"IATA this week forecast that Indian airlines will require USD60 billion in investment by 2030, while airports will require USD30 billion to cope with demand. Foreign investment is vital in this equation - and the Investor Summit will show who, where, when funding is required", said Mr Kaul.

India's airlines are developing ambitious plans to meet the expected growth in demand. To finance fleet expansion and modernisation, up to 4 carriers - Air India, Indian Airlines, Air Deccan and Kingfisher Airlines - are planning to raise funds through IPOs in 2006. Their upcoming plans will be discussed at the Summit.

Meanwhile in the tourism and hotel sector, Summit Partner HVS International recently released a report which noted a 35.2% year-on-year increase in revenue per available room across India in 2004/05, highlighting supply constraints and opportunities for hotel development. India's Tourism Minister, Ambika Soni, has forecast the need for 100,000 additional rooms by 2010, when the Commonwealth Games are due to be held in New Delhi.

With government leaders and CEOs in attendance from across the region and beyond, the Investor Summit will provide a roadmap for investors seeking to maneuver through the complexities of the industry to be rewarded with potential opportunities.

The Summit will also feature an extensive supplier exhibition and enhanced sponsor offering, with over 10 hours of networking time.

For more information, please visit: https://centreforaviation.com

For sponsorship details, please contact Misty Cambray, Marketing Manager mc@centreforaviation.com Ph: +612 9241 3200.