CAPA Airline Leader Summit - Airlines in Transition 2026

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 the globe. 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.

The Trent 1000 engine fleet has surpassed 23 million in service flying hours on the Boeing 787 Dreamliner aircraft family, carrying more than 350 million passengers around the globe since its entry into service in 2011. Hear how Rolls-Royce's transformation is powering a new chapter for the Trent 1000.

ReluGroup is a real-time intelligence gateway that improves your existing revenue tech stack, transforming fragmented signals into explainable, profitable decisions.

József Váradi is the co-founder and CEO of Wizz Air Group, one of Europe's most dynamic ultra-low-cost carriers. Since launching the airline in 2003, he has led its transformation into a major player in global aviation. Under his leadership, Wizz Air has navigated a rapidly changing market environment, and successfully became a publicly listed company on the London Stock Exchange, sustaining its position through disciplined cost management, network flexibility, and bold strategic decisions.

Econetix helps organizations verify, manage, and scale climate action with technology, transparency, and trust, delivering measurable progress toward global sustainability and a truly net-zero future.

Franziska Giffey was born in Frankfurt/Oder in 1978. She serves as Berlin State Senator for Economic Affairs, Energy and Public Enterprises and Mayor of Berlin since April 2023. She was the Governing Mayor of Berlin from 2021 to 2023, the first woman elected to this position. She previously served as Federal Minister for Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth in the government of Chancellor Angela Merkel from 2018 until 2021. From 2015 to 2018, she was the Mayor of Berlin-Neukölln.

In this exclusive Airline Leader interview, Ryanair's Chief Commercial Officer Jason McGuinness shares his perspective on the airline's growth strategy, competitive positioning, and the evolving dynamics of the low-cost carrier market. From navigating shifting passenger demand to leveraging operational efficiency, McGuinness offers candid insights into how Ryanair continues to expand across Europe while maintaining its cost leadership.

Oscar Lanzendorf, two-time founder and GTM leader. Built VOYZ (voice messaging) and WeGoDm (digital media-as-a-service). In VC, he worked alongside F1 world champion Nico Rosberg at Shark Tank Germany and, as employee #4 at Rosberg Ventures, helped scale to $100M AUM in under two years. Today, he leads GTM at ElevenLabs, helping airlines enhance customer experience, automate operations, and scale multilingual voice interactions in 70+ languages in real time.

This panel will reveal how the A220's unique "clean-sheet design"-the only one launched in the small single-aisle market in the 21st century-has become a game-changing differentiator for airlines, delivering unrivalled economics, superior cabin comfort, and outstanding operational flexibility. Join us as we also share how we navigated the initially stony path towards benchmark operational reliability and engine durability. Finally, we'll provide an outlook how the A220 is empowering airlines to grow and open new horizons in previously untapped markets.

CAPA Airline Leader Summit - Airlines in Transition 2026, took place April 23-24, 2026, at the Ritz Carlton, hosted by Berlin Brandenburg Airport. This flagship event launched CAPA's global aviation summit series for 2026 and convened the industry's most influential leaders to navigate the rapidly evolving aviation landscape.

The summit brought together C-suite executives, aviation policymakers, suppliers, and industry visionaries to examine the future of global air travel during a period of unprecedented transformation. Berlin's strategic position as a major European aviation hub provided the perfect setting for these critical industry discussions.

With net margins hovering below 5%, selling seats alone can no longer sustain profitability. Airlines are rapidly evolving from transport providers into sophisticated retail platforms, with non-ticket revenue now contributing as much as 50% of total income for industry leaders.

This pivot reframes passengers as lifetime value propositions and opens the door to new business models-personalised marketplaces, lifestyle ecosystems, and subscription services. Yet the path forward raises critical questions: Will investors reward diversification or demand focus on the core product?

• Can airlines overcome legacy structures and cultures to think and act like digital retailers?

• How should loyalty evolve as a profit centre, how does supply chain issues hinder this, and what are the regulatory and trust implications of monetising customer data at scale?

As technology, partnerships, and resilience strategies reshape the industry, this session brings CEOs and experts together to debate whether the transformation is an evolution or a revolution-and what it means for aviation's future.

Tamur Goudarzi Pour has been the Executive Vice President Strategy and Group Executive Committee Member since October 2024, responsible for the overarching strategy of the Lufthansa Group, including the strategic vision and direction of all airlines and business segments, M&A, digital strategy and innovation management, corporate responsibility, organizational development, and corporate governance. Tamur Goudarzi Pour has held a variety of executive positions since joining the Lufthansa Group. Before his role as Senior Vice President Customer Experience for Lufthansa Group, he served as Chief Commercial Officer of Swiss International Air Lines. He holds a Master's of Philosophy in International Relations from the University of Cambridge.

The most forward-thinking airlines are moving beyond traditional à la carte ancillaries toward sophisticated monetisation strategies that create value throughout the customer journey.

Today's passengers-increasingly discerning and experience-focused-are challenging carriers to prove their value proposition at every touchpoint.

Airlines can now showcase their full product portfolio with rich content, dynamic pricing, and ancillary options that were impossible in traditional distribution channels. The ability to recognise and respond to individual customer preferences has improved dramatically, with some carriers reporting conversion increases of 30% through personalised merchandising strategies.

• Are points-based programmes still effective differentiators when even ultra-low-cost carriers now offer them?

• How will airlines balance short-term revenue optimisation with creating genuine value that strengthens customer relationships?

Live virtual link up to Sir Tim Clark in Dubai.

Mr Clark is President Emirates Airline, a position he has held since 2003. During his tenure, Mr Clark has driven Emirates' rapid growth into the world's largest international airline serving 130 cities on six continents via its hub in Dubai. He has also steered the airline through multiple ups and downs in the aviation industry, including a remarkable recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic into record profitability. He has been in the civil aviation business for his whole professional career, having joined British Caledonian in 1972, before moving to Gulf Air in 1975 and subsequently in 1985 to Dubai where he became a member of the founding team of Emirates as Head of Airline Planning. Mr Clark has been awarded numerous honours, including CAPA Airline Executive of the Year in 2022 for his individual influence on the aviation industry, strategic thinking, and innovative direction for the growth of Emirates and the industry. In 2023, Future Travel Experience presented Mr Clark with its first-ever FTE Visionary Award in recognition of his influence in shaping the industry; and Air Transport World presented Mr Clark with the Lifetime Achievement Award.

Global events, including the COVID-19 pandemic and ongoing geopolitical conflicts, have significantly disrupted the aviation supply chain, leading to shortages of aircraft parts, delays in manufacturing timelines, and escalating costs. Airlines are now faced with the challenge of maintaining operational efficiency despite delays in the delivery of aircraft, engines, and critical components, compounded by labour shortages and the growing demand for sustainable practices in sourcing and logistics.

This panel discussion will explore innovative strategies to address these challenges, focusing on risk mitigation, strengthening partnerships with suppliers, and adopting forward-thinking approaches to build a more resilient, adaptive, and sustainable supply chain that supports the long-term growth and stability of the aviation industry.

Payments are no longer just a cost to manage, they influence revenue, customer conversion, and competitive positioning. Airlines today face rising card fees, booking abandonment caused by friction, and the added complexity of local payment preferences in emerging markets. At the same time, finance leaders see opportunities to optimise working capital, improve settlement efficiency, and build loyalty by shaping more of the payment experience directly.

• How much of the payment process should airlines manage themselves versus rely on partners for?

• Functions such as settlement, reconciliation, and disruption recovery are tightly linked to financial health and passenger trust, while others may be more efficiently handled through collaboration. The choices made will determine whether payments remain a necessary expense or evolve into a driver of control, resilience, and growth.

Live virtual link up to Jazeera in Kuwait.

Barathan Pasupathi (Bara), Chief Executive Officer of Jazeera Airways is Singaporean and has more than 30 years of global aviation experience spanning finance, commercial strategy, operations, and aircraft procurement and leasing. A seasoned airline leader, he has built a strong reputation for leading organizations with purpose, turning around businesses, driving transformation, delivering performance, and sustainable growth in competitive markets. Since assuming the role of CEO in March 2024, Bara has led Jazeera Airways through a period of strategic expansion and operational discipline, culminating in the airline achieving record profitability in 2025, its strongest financial performance to date. Under his leadership, the airline has advanced its growth agenda through network expansion, fleet optimization, digital innovation, and a continued focus on safety, efficiency, and customer value. He joined Jazeera from Jetstar Asia where he was the CEO for 12 years in Asia growing Asian markets as well as founding executive and CFO between 2004 to 2007 guiding the airline through multiple phases of growth and industry change. From 2007 to 2010, he served as CFO at Jazeera Airways and listed the airline on the Kuwait stock Market and set up Sahaab Aircraft leasing. A prominent industry leader shaping the future of aviation, Bara has been featured by Forbes for his leadership influence and contributions to the sector. He is also an acclaimed speaker on aviation strategy, airline economics, and industry transformation, frequently addressing regional and global aviation audiences.

In an era defined by geopolitical conflicts, economic uncertainty, and escalating operational challenges, the aviation industry must unite to navigate these turbulent times. From the ripple effects of Middle East conflicts to broader global concerns, airlines and industry stakeholders face shared obstacles that require collective solutions. A critical aspect of this discussion is the need to address airline fuel hedging as a key strategy for mitigating financial risks and ensuring operational stability. This dialogue invites leaders to explore approaches for resilience, collaboration, and innovation, including fuel hedging practices, to tackle these challenges and ensure the aviation sector remains agile and prepared for an unpredictable future. Join the conversation to shape a united response to global disruptions and drive sustainable progress.

The fundamental strategic question facing every airline today is whether the undeniable benefits of partnerships and alliances-expanded global reach, shared costs, operational synergies, and enhanced customer value through seamless connectivity-outweigh the significant risks of reduced competitive flexibility, regulatory scrutiny, cultural misalignment, and potential loss of brand differentiation.

While partnerships can transform regional carriers into global players and provide smaller airlines with survival mechanisms against industry giants, the consolidation trend raises critical questions about whether airlines are creating an oligopolistic structure that stifles innovation, reduces consumer choice, and invites regulatory backlash that could ultimately destabilise the entire industry framework.

Some airlines have thrived as independent operators, maintaining pricing flexibility, rapid decision-making capabilities, and unique market positioning that partnerships might compromise, yet others have found that going it alone in today's interconnected world limits growth potential and leaves them vulnerable to competitive pressures from alliance-backed rivals.

• Is the airline industry's consolidation trajectory creating market conditions so concentrated that we're inviting aggressive regulatory intervention that could dismantle the very alliance structures being built?

• Does industry consolidation through alliances inherently reduce innovation incentives, and are independent airlines becoming the primary source of industry disruption and customer value creation?

Travel retailing has promised agents and airlines a revolution through NDC: richer content, personalised offers, higher revenues. The reality for many has been complexity, cost, and disappointment. In this session, Damian Hickey, Global Head of Travel Partners at Travelport, cuts through the noise to examine why NDC investment has so often failed to deliver measurable returns, and what it actually takes to make it profitable.

Drawing on Travelport's experience connecting airlines and agencies at scale, Damian sets out a clear framework for turning NDC from a technology project into a commercial advantage: identifying where value leaks out of the distribution chain, defining the conditions for a genuine breakthrough, and applying a profit formula that delivers for agencies, airlines, and travellers alike.

The session concludes with a direct challenge to the industry: achieving this requires not just smarter technology, but the courage to change entrenched commercial models.

The aviation industry stands at a critical juncture where traditional talent pools may no longer suffice for the complex challenges ahead, particularly in areas like relationship monetisation, digital transformation, and customer experience innovation. Airlines increasingly need to attract professionals from sectors like technology, retail, hospitality, and financial services-industries that have mastered the art of turning customer relationships into sustainable revenue streams. However, this talent acquisition strategy faces significant headwinds given aviation's well-documented structural challenges: razor-thin profit margins that leave little room for competitive compensation packages, cyclical business patterns that create job security concerns, and vulnerability to external shocks ranging from pandemics to geopolitical events that can devastate operations overnight.

• How can airlines position themselves as attractive employers to top-tier talent from more stable, higher-margin industries? Success may require a fundamental shift in how airlines present their value proposition-emphasising the global scale of impact, the opportunity to revolutionise a massive industry, and the potential for meaningful innovation in areas like sustainability and customer experience.

• Airlines might need to offer equity participation, flexible work arrangements, and career development opportunities that rival those in tech companies, while also highlighting the unique challenges and rewards of working in an industry that connects the world.

• Can airlines overcome their traditional limitations to become talent magnets?

Advanced Air Mobility is set to redefine how airlines extend their networks and elevate the premium passenger experience - connecting city centres, rural communities and airports faster, more seamlessly and profitably.

With aircraft certification targeted for 2028 in Europe, the focus is shifting from concept to commercial reality.

In this session, Stuart Simpson (Vertical Aerospace) and Simon Meakins (Bristow) will break down the fundamentals of AAM, explore the underlying unit economics, and discuss how airlines can establish early leadership - unlocking high-margin, asset-light growth and meaningful competitive differentiation without the need for large capital investments.

Peter Gerber, born in 1964 in Gießen, is the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Condorsince February 1, 2024. He is also President of the Federal Association of GermanAirlines (BDF). Prior to this, Peter Gerber held management positions in the Lufthansa Group for over30 years - including serving on the Executive Board of Lufthansa Airlines, as CEO andCFO of Lufthansa Cargo and most recently as CEO and CCO of Brussels Airlines. Healso held the position of Chief Representative for European Affairs at the LufthansaGroup and was President of the German Aviation Association (BDL). Gerber studied lawand business administration in Gießen and Hagen. In addition, he completed a seniorexecutive programme at Columbia University in New York in 2008

The airline industry stands at a critical inflexion point as it confronts its environmental footprint amid intensifying climate urgency and regulatory pressure.

The industry's path forward is neither simple nor singular: Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) offers immediate carbon reduction potential but remains constrained by limited production and price premiums of 3-5x conventional fuel. Meanwhile, hydrogen and electric propulsion technologies promise zero-emission flight but require fundamental infrastructure transformation and face significant range limitations.

• Beyond alternative propulsion, airlines are implementing sophisticated operational efficiencies-from AI-optimised flight paths reducing fuel burn by up to 5% to weight reduction initiatives and revolutionary aircraft designs.

• What can airlines do collectively to push forward the sustainability agenda? A good example is that of five oneworld airlines joining together to invest in a venture fund that will scale up the production of SAF. Is collective action the way forward?

Join industry leaders as they debate whether incremental improvements are sufficient or if aviation requires radical reinvention to secure its environmental and economic future.

Travelport, Global Head of Travel Partners, Damian Hickey spoke to CAPA TV at the CAPA Airline Leader Summit, Airlines in Transition 2026, hosted in Berlin, 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.

Dohop, CEO, David Gunnarsson spoke to CAPA TV at the CAPA Airline Leader Summit, Airlines in Transition 2026, hosted in Berlin, 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.

Berlin Brandenburg Airport, CEO, Aletta von Massenbach spoke to CAPA TV at the CAPA Airline Leader Summit, Airlines in Transition 2026, hosted in Berlin, 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.

Airbus, President of Region Europe and Head of Commercial Europe for Commercial Aircraft, Johan Pelissier spoke to CAPA TV at the CAPA Airline Leader Summit, Airlines in Transition 2026, hosted in Berlin, 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.