CAPA Airline Leader Summit - Airlines in Transition 2025
Host Welcome - Athens International Airport
Athens International Airport is hosted the CAPA Airline Leader Summit - Airlines in Transition on May 8-9, 2025. From its breath-taking landmarks like the Acropolis to its vibrant culture and world-renowned cuisine, Athens provided the perfect backdrop for aviation leaders to gather, discuss critical industry shifts, and unlock new opportunities for the future.
Boardroom Conversation – Creating an Airline
The world of aviation changes rapidly, and the fastest moving segment is the world of start-up airlines. This expert panel will examine the ins and outs of what goes into launching a new airline. Join CAPA as we delve into a discussion on the hows and whys of getting a blank sheet airline off the ground in the world of 2025.
Airline Leader Interview - IndiGo Airlines CEO Pieter Elbers
Pieter Elbers is a seasoned airline business leader with over 30 years of aviation experience. As CEO of IndiGo since September 2022, Pieter is building the next stage of the incredible IndiGo journey, further fulfilling its purpose of Giving wings to the nation, by connecting people and aspirations and executing the strategy of bringing IndiGo 'Towards new heights and Across new frontiers'.
CAPA State of the Industry - May 2025
Join CAPA - Centre for Aviation, the world's most trusted source for aviation intelligence, for a comprehensive snapshot of the state of commercial aviation across Europe. Featuring exclusive insights generated from CAPA's extensive data and aviation knowledge tools, this session will not only examine key performance metrics for aviation, but will examine implications for major trends in regional aviation that are shaping the industry's outlook.
Welcome by AEGEAN CEO Dimitris Gerogiannis
Mr. Dimitris Gerogiannis was born in 1961 in Edessa, Greece. He joined AEGEAN in 1999 and has served as general manager of AEGEAN since 2001 and CEO since 2007. Before joining AEGEAN, Mr. Gerogiannis worked in the US, Germany, and Greece. From 1989 to 1997, he held various engineering positions at Daimler Benz AG, Germany. From 1997 to 1999, he served as manager for procurement and contracts at Athens International Airport. Mr. Gerogiannis holds a diploma in Electrical Engineering from Aristotle University of Thessaloniki (1984) and a Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering from Yale University (1989).
Beyond Miles: Building true loyalty with Gen Z
Traditional loyalty programs are no longer enough. This session dives deep into the values and expectations of Gen Z, revealing how airlines can create authentic connections that translate into lasting loyalty and increased revenue.
Change management - 2025 and the evolution of the market
If 2024 was the year of the election, then 2025 is the year of dealing with the fallout. With new governments sweeping into office across the globe, huge changes are occurring in business critical areas like trade and taxation policies and approaches to competition and regulation. Meanwhile, the aviation sector is dealing with its own internal revolutions in technology, attitudes towards travel and sustainability and new approaches around work and recruiting. This panel will look at the complicated topic of change management and how airlines and other travel businesses can stay agile and on top of rapidly evolving markets.
Airlines and Alliances - understanding the mutual benefits
"If you want to join an alliance, you need to think about what you will contribute-rather than what you will take." - Dimitris Gerogiannis, CEO, AEGEAN Airlines.
A seasoned leader with a deep understanding of the European aviation landscape, Dimitris brought clarity and conviction to the stage. His perspective? Strong alliances are built on shared value, not one-sided gain.
Under his leadership, AEGEAN continues to play a pivotal role in connecting regional markets and championing collaborative, future-focused growth.
The rise and rise of the luxury traveller
Luxury travel remains firmly on the rise. Even as economic pressures build, consumers continue to give elevated priority to travel and holiday spending. Premium offerings are expanding throughout the travel process, with travellers seeking out ever greater levels of luxury, personalisation and unique experiences. This panel will examine key trends in luxury travel, looking at how the industry caters to the growing market, changes in the make-up and demands of luxury passengers and what's in store for the sector.
Time to turn words into action - Sustainability in 2025
2024 was the hottest year on record, with global temperatures nearly 1.5°C above the pre-industrial average. For the aviation sector, goals have been set, agreements made and targets established but precious little progress is apparent. Join us for a hard look at how the industry turns objectives into action and gets on with the difficult task of decarbonization and meets the challenge of sustainability.
Change management - 2025 and the evolution of the market
If 2024 was the year of the election, then 2025 is the year of dealing with the fallout. With new governments sweeping into office across the globe, huge changes are occurring in business critical areas like trade and taxation policies and approaches to competition and regulation. Meanwhile, the aviation sector is dealing with its own internal revolutions in technology, attitudes towards travel and sustainability and new approaches around work and recruiting. This panel will look at the complicated topic of change management and how airlines and other travel businesses can stay agile and on top of rapidly evolving markets.
Hands In Presentation
Hands In enables businesses worldwide to accept split payments across multiple cards and people with ease.
15 Green Facts in 15 Minutes
Aviation Sustainability Facts
Industry Leader Interview - IATA Director General Willie Walsh
Willie Walsh became the eighth person to lead the International Air Transport Association (IATA) when he took on the role of Director General in April 2021. Prior to joining IATA, Walsh spent his entire career in the airline industry. beginning as a cadet pilot with Aer Lingus in 1979 and rising to the position of Chief Executive at the airline in 2001. In 2005 he was appointed Chief Executive of British Airways (BA). He led BA through the 2008/09 global financial crisis, established a transatlantic joint business venture with Iberia, Finnair and American Airlines, and oversaw the 2011 merger of BA and Iberia under a newly established parent company, International Airlines Group (IAG). He was Chief Executive of IAG from its inception until September 2020. Under Walsh's leadership, IATA has focused on supporting the industry's emergence from the COVID-19 crisis as well as aviation's ambitious and historic commitment to achieve net zero carbon emissions by 2050. Walsh has also advocated for infrastructure partners to avoid recouping their COVID losses from their customers including airlines and air travelers.
Overtourism – Dealing with push back and seeking new markets
What began as a European phenomenon prior to the COVID-19 pandemic is now becoming a headline generator across the world. 2024 saw a wave of push-back across popular and traditional tourist destinations, ranging from grassroots protests demanding restrictions all the way up to governments imposing new regulations and introducing new tourism charges and fees.
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With Europe seeing the strongest push back against overtourism, how does the local air travel industry respond to this issue?
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Is there a role for the industry to work with local residents to ensure tourism is more sustainable and in harmony with local conditions?
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How do airlines move to rapidly meet demand for alternative markets that overtourism can produce?
Finding the balance for a pro-growth Europe
The EU's motto is 'United in Diversity' and nothing is better at bringing people together than aviation. However, the competitive position of commercial aviation in Europe is under threat from layers of regulation, disharmony over sustainability and failures around the optimisation of infrastructure and attempts to tax businesses and consumers into changing their travel behaviour. This high-level panel will bring representatives from international and regional aviation bodies to discuss key topics, including:
- How the industry responds in a practical manner to challenges around decarbonization, such as the EU Emissions Trading Scheme, national aviation taxes and fuel mandates;
- How the industry can work with the authorities on innovation over regulation on industry pain points like air traffic management reform, airport regulation, passenger rights and sustainability policies;
- How Europe can work de-fragment its aviation market, and where consolidation in Europe goes next.
Technology Rundown - How digitalisation and innovation are transforming the passenger experience
Passengers see changes in technology as the most essential element to improving their experience through their journey. Digitalisation and technology innovation have reshaped consumer expectations across all stages of their travel cycle, including the physical and digital experiences that passengers go through at the airport, how airlines conduct their operations, onboard aircraft and on arrival at a destination. This panel will examine the changing passenger expectations around digital ecosystems and technology use through the journey, exploring how the travel ecosystem can collaborate to deliver an integrated and best in-class passenger experience in a world with unprecedented operational challenges for airlines to face today.
The shifting distribution landscape - how technology and consumer behaviour is reshaping travel distribution
Social media, advances in booking technology and shifting consumer behaviours are coming together to fundamentally alter the way travel works - reshaping everything from how and when travel decisions are made to the industry's advertising, booking and distribution pipelines. Social media and specialist online travel communities have not only become the go to places for travel inspiration and planning, but as these platforms increasingly facilitate direct booking they are becoming embedded into the commercial landscape. This previously linear distribution journey has become fragmented and increasingly complex, creating immense retail opportunities but also leading to industry-wide changes to distribution and marketing strategies.
IndiGo Airlines, CEO, Pieter Elbers at the CAPA Airline Leader Summit Airlines in Transition 2025
IndiGo Airlines, CEO, Pieter Elbers spoke to CAPA TV at the CAPA Airline Leader Summit Airlines in Transition hosted in Athens, Greece on 8-9 May 2025, 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, CTO, John Hurley at the CAPA Airline Leader Summit Airlines in Transition 2025
Ryanair, CTO, John Hurley spoke to CAPA TV at the CAPA Airline Leader Summit Airlines in Transition hosted in Athens, Greece on 8-9 May 2025, 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.
Norse Atlantic Airways, CEO, Bjørn Tore Larsen at the CAPA Airline Leader Summit Airlines in Transition 2025
Norse Atlantic Airways, CEO, Bjørn Tore Larsen spoke to CAPA TV at the CAPA Airline Leader Summit Airlines in Transition hosted in Athens, Greece on 8-9 May 2025, 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.
Air France-KLM, CCO, Angus Clarke at the CAPA Airline Leader Summit Airlines in Transition 2025
Air France-KLM, CCO, Angus Clarke spoke to CAPA TV at the CAPA Airline Leader Summit Airlines in Transition hosted in Athens, Greece on 8-9 May 2025, 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.