CAPA TV

Enjoy the key highlights of the CAPA Airline Leader Summit Australia Pacific 2024 from Brisbane, Australia.

Aviation is crucial to the success of many South Pacific states, providing vital connectivity and a leading role in supporting tourism dependent economies across the region. Despite this importance, aviation in the region is facing a turbulent time. While some airlines are achieving record profitability, others dealing with crippling operational issues or even falling into administration. This panel will convene senior airline and aviation leaders from across the Southwest Pacific to look at the challenges, trends and outlook for a region that is at a crossroads.

Australia continues to top global lists of must visit destinations for 2024. Airlines continue to add routes and increase capacity where they can, with all signs pointing to continued growth through 2024. At the same time, some recent political decisions concerning bilateral agreements have brought Australian air services policy into sharp focus.

• With a number of international markets nearing or at the limits of bilateral capacity, is there a need to rethink the implementation of Australia's 'capacity ahead of demand policy'?

• Should more Open Skies agreements be pursued with major regional and trading partners?

• With slots limited at many major capital airports, is there a better way to coordinate rights allocations involving consultations with stakeholders like the states, airports, airlines and regulators?

The role of the government in fostering the growth and sustainability of the aviation sector across Australia is absolutely vital. With a focus on policies, partnerships, and proactive measures, this panel aims to delve into the strategic initiatives and collaborative efforts required to navigate the evolving landscape of aviation in Australia.

• Policy Frameworks for Growth: Including the formulation and implementation of supportive policies that drive innovation, infrastructure development, and regulatory frameworks tailored to the unique needs of Australian aviation.

• Public-Private Collaboration: Insights into successful partnerships between government entities, private sector stakeholders, and academia to promote technological advancements, skills development, and operational efficiencies within the industry.

• Sustainability and Resilience: Discussions on strategies to enhance the sector's resilience to global challenges such as pandemics, economic fluctuations, and environmental sustainability, with a focus on achieving long-term viability.

• Investment and Infrastructure: Examination of investment priorities in aviation infrastructure, including airports, air traffic management systems, and digitalisation efforts to improve service delivery and passenger experience.

Global Competitiveness: Exploration of measures to bolster Australia's position in the global aviation market, leveraging strengths in research, development, and technological innovation.

After playing a vital role during the pandemic, air cargo in the Asia Pacific has gone through a tough few years. With global trade still somewhat shaky but activity in the Asia Pacific picking back up, what are the prospects for regional air cargo in 2024?

• How is the move towards digitalisation changing air cargo practices? What emerging technologies are seen as the most important to embrace?

• With pharmaceuticals, cold chain logistics and eCommerce taking ever large shares of the market, how is the air cargo supply chain adjusting?

• Sustainability is playing an ever-larger part of customers' purchase decisions. How does the air cargo industry move to manage challenges around its environmental impact and effectively communicate its actions to the public?

While the Australasian aviation market appears to have recovered from the COVID-19 pandemic, there are still signs that everything is not right in the sector. Profit remains elusive for most regional operators, and fares are still depressed in many parts of the region. Operational performance is still improving, but public perception remains a challenge for regional carriers.

Join us for a free-wheeling discussion covering these and other major topics of importance for regional aviation. Serving as the culmination of the CAPA Airline Leader Summit - Asia Pacific this unique panel will involve a frank, open assessment of the situation of regional aviation and a free-wheeling discussion on the future for the region.

Interaction between participants, moderator and the audience will be a key feature of this session.

Enjoy exchanges that are unbound by the limits of traditional conference structures and engage with industry leaders on topics that are most relevant to their sectors and of greatest importance to their businesses.

Governments around the world have made continuous efforts to foster global air connectivity through various liberalisation and deregulation initiatives in the past 45 years. Today, these efforts are increasingly neutralised by a more fragmented regulatory environment for airlines where notions such as the national interest are reemerging. Fueled by geopolitics, supply chain decoupling and nearshoring, this growing trend is likely to lead to air connectivity stagnation between countries and the hyper-regionalisation of air services, inevitably impacting global air connectivity and challenging core aeropolitical principles such as reciprocity, the level playing field, and consumer benefits. Our presentation will explore global traffic flows, recent changing patterns, and discuss how the reemergence of the national interest is slowly eroding consumer benefits and air connectivity between regions/countries, using specific cases as examples. We will also discuss how airlines can navigate the highly unpredictable nature of the current market, regulatory, and operational environment.

Gert-Jan de Graaff is the Chief Executive Officer of Brisbane Airport Corporation Pty Ltd, a position he has held since June 2018. Gert-Jan has more than 25 years' experience in leadership roles at major airports around the world, including Amsterdam Airport Schiphol, JFK International Airport in New York and Stockholm-Arlanda Airport . Current Board appointments include the Airports Council International Asia-Pacific Regional Board and Australian Airports Association. Gert-Jan was also selected to be a Council Member of the Australian Jet Zero Council in June 2023.

Cam Wallace has over 20 years experience in the aviation, travel and media sectors. He was appointed CEO Qantas International & Freight in July 2023 and is responsible for the financial, commercial and operational performance of international flying and the freight business; as well as overseeing Global Sales and Distriubtion and Alliances. Cam’s previous executive career has primarily been with the Air New Zealand group where he was responsible for all the commercial and customer functions including the freight and loyalty business units. In that role he was instrumental in growing both the domestic and international networks and developing joint ventures with multiple airline partners.