CAPA Airline Leader Summit - Airlines in Transition 2024

Junta de Andalucía proudly welcomes CAPA - Centre For Aviation and it's delegates to Granada, Spain.

The event is the lead in CAPA’s series of global summits for 2024, which encompasses events to be held across the Asia Pacific, the Americas and Europe. The agenda offers comprehensive coverage of the air travel industry and the vital issues that are shaping the sector at the regional level and beyond.  

Jonathan Wober devised and maintains CAPA's world airline operating margin forecast, publishes regular analytical insight on trends and developments in the European and global airline markets and represents CAPA at frequent aviation conferences and in the media. Before joining CAPA in 2013, he spent 13 years as an equity research analyst in London covering European airlines and airports for Société Générale, HSBC and Deutsche Bank. His involvement in aviation/aerospace started with his early career at BAE Systems more than 30 years ago. He holds a Bachelor's degree in Mathematics and Physics from the University of Bristol and a Masters in Business Administration from London Business School.

Andalucia Tourism Board, Head of Cooperation and Connectivity, Antonio Martín-Machuca spoke to CAPA TV at the CAPA Airline Leader Summit - Airlines in Transition 2024, in Granada, Spain, about latest industry trends and company developments. 

CAPA Events are hosted in key markets around the world and attract the highest calibre of thought leaders and decision makers in the aviation and travel industry. Delegates are provided with unprecedented access to the latest data, insights and trends from our global team, in addition to valuable networking opportunities with executives across all sectors of the aviation and travel industry. Review CAPA’s full events calendar here.   

The aviation community will gather for a dynamic session that embraces the spirit of collaboration and innovation as industry leaders come together in an open forum designed to engage in spontaneous discussions, share breakthrough ideas and explore the uncharted territories of aviation.

This session will allow participants and audience members to be more involved in the conference, suggesting and leading discussions on topics they are passionate about, encouraging dynamic exchanges, all the while defying traditional conference structures.

Join us for a unique experience that transcends the ordinary and will propel the industry to new heights.

Suggest your theme or topic during the registration process or come prepared to join in the conversation.

Ryanair DAC, CEO, Eddie Wilson interviewed by Aviation Advocacy, Managing Director, Andrew Charlton. 

Eddie has made a huge contribution to Ryanair’s growth without ever losing his South Dublin accent, boyish charm or North Dublin address.

The increasing commodisation and segmentation of air travel is seeing the once sharp differentiation between full-service airlines and low cost carriers become increasingly blurred. As the industry grapples with growing costs, slowing business travel and new premium travel demand, is it inevitable that all airlines and their models are going to converge around a hybrid model? 

• Can airlines embrace low-cost thinking while still offering a distinct premium product and experience? 

• What models are emerging as the most successful in the post-pandemic period?

All was not well with aviation in the post-pandemic recovery period, with high-profile delays and cancellations putting a spotlight on the challenges of airport operations. While circumstances are normalising and operations are stabilising, what are the lessons that need to be drawn from the challenges of the last few years?

• How are airports dealing with rapid upticks in demand?

• How are airports collaborating and communicating with their diverse stakeholders – airlines, passengers, ATC providers, regulators, owners and others – to manage their sometimes contradictory requirements?

• What technologies and operational structures are being adopted to ensure efficient communication and coordination, both internally and with external sources?

• What are the best practices that have emerged in dealing with irregular operations and other events?

• Are airports positioned to deal with future operational shocks?

Key areas of experience: Airline industry, general management Current external appointments: Member of the Board of Governors and Member of the Chair Committee, IATA. Previous relevant experience: Chairman and CEO, Iberia 2013-2020. CEO, Iberia Express 2012-2013. Chief Operating Officer, Vueling 2009-2012. Founder of Clickair 2006-2009.

Progress towards greater sustainability is now a major driver of airline strategy, whether it’s facing customers, suppliers or regulators. Airlines have ambitious climate goals and are pursuing a multi-pronged approach to achieving them. Yet, the industry’s credibility around sustainability remains marginal in the eyes of many and how the industry will achieve its sustainability targets, and whether it can afford the cost of doing so, are still open questions.

• What are the most promising avenues for reducing emissions in the short-to-medium term?
• Will the transition of the industry towards net-zero be one that is evolutionary or revolutionary?
• How are traveller attitudes towards sustainability changing? Is the passenger showing more willingness to pay extra needed to travel in a more sustainable way?
• How does the industry finance the transition towards net-zero and where does the burden of financing fall?
• Is one airline operating model better for sustainability than another?

iCoupon, Director of International Sales, Viktoriya Soubra spoke to CAPA TV at the CAPA Airline Leader Summit - Airlines in Transition 2024, in Granada, Spain, about latest industry trends and company developments. 

CAPA Events are hosted in key markets around the world and attract the highest calibre of thought leaders and decision makers in the aviation and travel industry. Delegates are provided with unprecedented access to the latest data, insights and trends from our global team, in addition to valuable networking opportunities with executives across all sectors of the aviation and travel industry. Review CAPA’s full events calendar here.   

The New Terminal One at JFK, Chief Revenue Officer, Carl Schultz spoke to CAPA TV at the CAPA Airline Leader Summit - Airlines in Transition 2024, in Granada, Spain, about latest industry trends and company developments. 

CAPA Events are hosted in key markets around the world and attract the highest calibre of thought leaders and decision makers in the aviation and travel industry. Delegates are provided with unprecedented access to the latest data, insights and trends from our global team, in addition to valuable networking opportunities with executives across all sectors of the aviation and travel industry. Review CAPA’s full events calendar here.   

Ryanair DAC, CEO, Eddie Wilson spoke to CAPA TV at the CAPA Airline Leader Summit - Airlines in Transition 2024, in Granada, Spain, about latest industry trends and company developments. 

CAPA Events are hosted in key markets around the world and attract the highest calibre of thought leaders and decision makers in the aviation and travel industry. Delegates are provided with unprecedented access to the latest data, insights and trends from our global team, in addition to valuable networking opportunities with executives across all sectors of the aviation and travel industry. Review CAPA’s full events calendar here.   

Transavia, CEO, Marcel de Nooijer spoke to CAPA TV at the CAPA Airline Leader Summit - Airlines in Transition 2024, in Granada, Spain, about latest industry trends and company developments.

CAPA Events are hosted in key markets around the world and attract the highest calibre of thought leaders and decision makers in the aviation and travel industry. Delegates are provided with unprecedented access to the latest data, insights and trends from our global team, in addition to valuable networking opportunities with executives across all sectors of the aviation and travel industry. Review CAPA’s full events calendar here.   

Leasing companies played a key role in keeping the airline industry afloat during the pandemic, via record numbers of sale and lease back agreements and other arrangements. Airlines are starting to turn profitable once again, but regional progress is highly differentiated and elevated debt and poor credit metrics are common in the industry. At the same time, new aircraft deliveries are increasing and will need financing of more than USD100 billion p/a.

• How are funding strategies changing now that cheap debt is increasingly a thing of the past?
• What impact are ESG trends and net zero targets having on the aviation finance market?
• How are recent innovations in financing changing the structure of the market?

Riyadh Air, CEO, Tony Douglas spoke to CAPA TV at the CAPA Airline Leader Summit - Airlines in Transition 2024, in Granada, Spain, about latest industry trends and company developments. 

CAPA Events are hosted in key markets around the world and attract the highest calibre of thought leaders and decision makers in the aviation and travel industry. Delegates are provided with unprecedented access to the latest data, insights and trends from our global team, in addition to valuable networking opportunities with executives across all sectors of the aviation and travel industry. Review CAPA’s full events calendar here.   

Bluebox Aviation Systems, Business Development Director & Member of the Board, Paul Rayson spoke to CAPA TV at the CAPA Airline Leader Summit - Airlines in Transition 2024, in Granada, Spain, about latest industry trends and company developments. 

CAPA Events are hosted in key markets around the world and attract the highest calibre of thought leaders and decision makers in the aviation and travel industry. Delegates are provided with unprecedented access to the latest data, insights and trends from our global team, in addition to valuable networking opportunities with executives across all sectors of the aviation and travel industry. Review CAPA’s full events calendar here.   

Zoran Savic is currently serving as the Director of Product Management for the Flight Operations Platform at CAE. He holds an engineer's degree in Computer Science and an MBA in Marketing. In his role, Zoran is envisioning the future of Flight Operations and spearheading its execution while transforming CAE's ecosystem from product-centric to platform-centric.

IAG, CEO, Luis Gallego spoke to CAPA TV at the CAPA Airline Leader Summit - Airlines in Transition 2024, in Granada, Spain, about latest industry trends and company developments.

CAPA Events are hosted in key markets around the world and attract the highest calibre of thought leaders and decision makers in the aviation and travel industry. Delegates are provided with unprecedented access to the latest data, insights and trends from our global team, in addition to valuable networking opportunities with executives across all sectors of the aviation and travel industry. Review CAPA's full events calendar here.

Airlines are redefining their criteria to selected routes and they expect new support mechanisms from airports and service providers. Whether full service or LCC, focused on domestic or international, airlines across all business models have pivoted part of their networks during the pandemic as travel patterns have shifted.

Airlines have been creative with their network planning, launching new routes and chasing the existing demand, but whether these routes will remain part of their networks as the recovery process is yet to be seen.

• What strategies are network planners utilising in 2024?

• What shifts are under way in the way that operators approach network planning in the near to medium term?

• How will the slower recovery in business travel impact flight frequency as question marks remain over the scale of recovery in this area?

• Will the strength of hubs be diluted by travellers seeking more point-to-point options?

• Will changing fleet structures influence future network strategies?

• Will sustainability become an increasing factor in the route selection criteria?

The air travel sector continues to embrace new technology to enhance operational performance, enhance selling opportunities and revenue generation, improve the passenger experience and reduce the sectors environmental impact. But, the industry seems to be uncertain about whether it needs to be a leader or a follower when it comes to innovation in digital spaces.

• What are the areas of spending priority for digital transformation for 2024 and beyond?

• Digital transformation is a major priority for airlines and airports, but is there a disconnect between the appetite for digital initiatives and the pace of change for the majority of the travel industry?

• What models are being adopted for digitalization? Is the industry better off being led by third parties, developing technology on its own or taking partnership and hybrid approaches?