CAPA TV

• SriLankan Airlines, CEO, Richard Nuttall
• ASM Australasia, Director, Jayne Davey

CAPA caught up with Sri Lankan Airlines, CEO, Richard Nutall on the sidelines of the Asia Aviation Summit in November 2022. Hear exclusively from Richard Nuttall as we discuss the tourism growth into Sri Lanka, along with challenges faced in 2022 and an update on the post-pandemic recovery.

Consumers are at the heart of digital transformation and the pandemic has only accelerated the shift to digital retailing and e-commerce, backed by sophisticated IT platforms. And we have seen how effective the non-travel online retailers, like Amazon, have been – and they’ve grown their wallet share substantially.

These new players have gathered more data and learned more about us over the past two years than ever before and the worry is, for a heavily indebted and struggling airline industry – can it keep up and regain its fair share of the ‘economic wallet’ and unlock new revenue streams, as well as meeting shifting customer needs.

Airlines are at a disadvantage in that their starting point are often ageing tech systems of IT platforms, software and hardware. Added to this, an ever-more demanding customer, who wants greater ticketing flexibility, instant refunds, better service, disruption recovery that’s fast and effective and a seamless online and journey experience. The digital experience expectation also extends into the role of the airline’s loyalty programme, as well as its alliances and partnerships.

New selling strategies are also going to be key for the region. From branded fares to subscription services, airlines are shifting the ways they sell tickets.

• How is the distribution chain adapting to changing strategies?
• What are other trends in selling that are emerging that will work well specifically in Asia?

Moderator: Skyscanner, VP Commercial, Hugh Aitken

Panel:

• AWS, Head of EMEA Travel Industry, Nikiforos Chatzopoulos
• Sabre, Head of Sales, Asia Pacific, John Chapman
• Flyr Labs, VP of Growth, Matt Brown

• Wizz Air, CEO, Jozsef Varadi
• APAC Network, Chief Strategy Officer & Co-Founder, Oriel Morrison

CAPA caught up with Wizz Air, CEO, Jozsef Varadi on the sidelines of the Asia Aviation Summit in November 2022. Hear exclusively from Jozsef Varadi as we discuss the importance of Sustainability moving forward and Wizz Air's Sustainability goals and ambitions.

There has been a lot said about the Low Cost Long Haul model in previous years however it seems like it is making a comeback in a post-COVID world. The industry is beginning to talk about the model being well-suited to the post-recovery landscape.

In this discussion, we revisit the Low Cost Long Haul market in Asia, review the model, pre-pandemic, and predict why a resurgence is happening now.

• Has the LCLH model fully proven itself yet, and what will be the challenges to success?
• In what ways will the market be more conducive to long-haul LCC operations now?

Moderator: Aviation Week, Senior Air Transport Editor - Asia-Pacific, Adrian Schofield

Panel:

• VietJet Air, Member of Board, Cuong Chu
• Lufthansa Technik, Sales Strategy Manager, Beenash Qureshi
• ASM Australasia, Director, Hans Mitterlechner

As the COVID-19 pandemic has subsided and become an endemic disease it is having less of an influence over global air travel. But airlines are still having to trim flight schedules as supply chain constraints become the bigger concern than virus transmission.

The most acute problem has been a shortage of labour. From pilot shortages at airlines to the slow accreditation of ground staff at airports, these issues are having a significant impact on planning for the future – within the industry and by consumers.

The global pandemic has exposed many problems in airline and airport operational departments and remains a major management challenge. Put simply, the return of travellers has proved more difficult for the industry than anyone thought it would be.

• What are the problems and how are airlines adjusting?
• Is this all an over-reaction to accepted challenges ramping up operations after the industry’s biggest ever crisis?
• Are these operational issues forcing some airlines to make alternative strategic decisions?

Moderator: KornFerry, Partner, Torbjorn Karlsson
Panel:

• Lufthansa Group Airlines, VP Asia Pacific, Elise Becker
• ALPA-SIN, Vice President of the Technical Committee, Capt. Jaffar Bin Hassan

The Asia Pacific is the world’s factory, accounting for more than 40% of global exports of manufactured goods in 2021. With the COVID-19 induced disruption to shipping and supply chains, air cargo had a moment in the sun, reporting two consecutive years of record revenue. With passenger travel largely absent, air cargo was one of the few bright spots for Asia Pacific regional carriers in 2020 and 2021.

However, as passenger traffic comes back and shipping begins to regain some of its competitiveness, cargo sector revenues and profits are slowly coming back to earth. Worse still for Asia Pacific airlines, traditional Western export markets are increasingly moving to bring manufacturing onshore, particularly for high value goods. Geopolitics is also hurting the sector, as the relationship between China and the West becomes ever more frosty and barriers to trade are erected.

• What is the outlook for air cargo in the Asia Pacific?
• How can regional carriers benefit from major trends such as eCommerce, growing Asia Pacific regional consumption and ongoing supply chain instability?
• What does the growing regionalization trend mean for air cargo. Are agreements like the new Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) going to support regional trade and air cargo?

Moderator: The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Assistant Professor, Faculty of Law, Jae Woon (June) Lee
Panel:

• Cathay Pacific, Regional Head of Cargo, Southeast Asia, Siddhant Iyer
• Teleport, CEO, Pete Chareonwongsak
• IBS Software, SVP for APAC, Gautam Shekar

Short haul electric aircraft offer potentially the greatest revolution in aviation since the introduction of the jet engine. With the promise of helicopter-like performance and car-like costs to operate, the EVTOL concept is no longer just the playground of a few ambitious start-ups. Major aerospace OEMs, global technology firms, major car manufacturers and others are now investing billions of dollars in what they hope will be the next major frontier for aviation.

Moderator: WebinTravel, Founder, Siew Hoon Yeoh
Panel:

• Eve Air Mobility, Business Development Lead (APAC), Augustine Tai
• FlyNow, CCO, Andreas Schaaf
• Skyports, Head of Asia Pacific Yun-Yuan Tay
• Vertical Aerospace, Head of Commercial, Asia Pacific, Derek Cheng

• Changi Airport Group, Managing Director Air Hub Development, Ching Kiat Lim

• Star Alliance, CEO, Jeffrey Goh
• KornFerry, Partner, Torbjorn Karlsson

CAPA caught up with Star Alliance, CEO, Jeffrey Goh on the sidelines of the Asia Aviation Summit in November 2022. Hear exclusively from Jeffrey Goh as we discuss the expectations of customers transitioning into post-pandemic travel and the new-norms that are here to stay.

Despite the proliferation of LCCs over the past 20 years, the short haul intra-regional market in the Asia Pacific remains underdeveloped. A part of the problem is fleet composition - compared to markets like Europe and the Americas, there is a dearth of turboprops and regional jets in the Asia Pacific.

What do regional aircraft makers need to do to break into the region? How can OEMs like Embraer and ATR attract Asia Pacific customers for their aircraft?

Is Southeast Asia, and the Asia Pacific more broadly, set-up to handle short haul regional operations? What infrastructure, regulatory and market impediments exist in the market?

How can smaller airports work with operators to create successful short haul regional operations?

What lessons can the Asia Pacific learn from regions such as Latin America and Africa, where short-haul and regional aircraft make up a greater portion of fleets and regional connectivity is superior?

Moderator: National University of Singapore, Professor of Aviation Law, Alan Tan

Panel: 

• Cambodia Airports, CCO, Stephen King
• Embraer Asia Pacific, Director of Market Intelligence, Fernando Grau
• ATR, Head of Commercial APAC, Jean-Pierre Clercin