CAPA Airline Leader Summit - Airlines in Transition 2025

Athens, Greece

8-9 May 2025

Day 2 - Friday 9th May, 2025
09:00-09:10	Chairperson's Welcome
09:10-09:50	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 decarbonisation, 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. Moderator: CNN, Anchor, Richard Quest Panel: A4E, MD, Ourania Georgoutsakou Arab Air Carriers' Organization, Secretary General, Abdul Wahab Teffaha EUROCONTROL, Director Network Management, Iacopo Prissinotti IATA, DG, Willie Walsh
09:50-10:30	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. With Europe seeing the strongest push back against overtourism, how does the local air travel industry respond to this issue? Is there a role for the industry to work with local residents to ensure tourism is more sustainable and in harmony with local conditions? How do airlines move to rapidly meet demand for alternative markets that overtourism can produce? Moderator: Low Season Traveller, Founder & CEO, Ged Brown Panel: Aviado Partners, Senior Associate Partner, Sascha Feuerherd TUI Airline, CCO, Peter Glade Saudi ACP, CEO, Majid Khan
10:30-11:10	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. Moderator: CAPA - Centre for Aviation, Head of Analysis, Rich Maslen Panel: Bluebox, Executive Vice President Sales and Marketing, Kevin Birchmore Lufthansa Group, EVP Strategy & Member of Group Executive Committee, Tamur Goudarzi Pour Ryanair, CTO, John Hurley
11:10-11:40	Coffee break & Networking
11:40-12:20	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. Moderator: MW Travel Consultancy, Principal, Martin Warner Panel: Kiwi.com, CCO, Golan Shakéd Transavia, CEO, Marcel de Nooijer Play, CCO, Sonja Arnorsdottir
12:20-13:00	AI enters mass use among travellers, but is the industry ready? More than half of air travellers are expected to use generative AI across the travel process in 2025, whether as part of the itinerary planning, booking recommendations or as support during the journey itself. Travel companies report they are making rolling out AI technologies a priority for 2025, but how they will do it and what changes AI will bring to the travel sector are very much unresolved questions. What does the introduction of AI autonomous agents and the accelerating adoption of AI-powered search change the distribution and travel search landscapes? How are travel companies tackling issues with AI deployment like data security, a lack of internal knowledge and talent shortages, training existing staff, updating IT infrastructure and selecting external vendors? While generative AI and similar technologies are touted as having the potential to transform the entire travel ecosystem, how are travel companies determining whether the technology will deliver return on investment, enhance the customer journey and improve worker productivity? Moderator: Serko, VP Strategic Business Development, Johnny Thorsen Panel: AEGEAN, CCO, Roland Jaggi SunExpress Airlines, CIO, Mustafa Egilmezbilek SkyTeam Alliance, VP Digital & Information Technology, Laura Abraham
13:00-13:05	Chairperson's wrap up
13:00 - 14:00	Closing Lunch & Networking