CAPA Airline Leader Summit - Airlines in Transition 2026

Day 2 - Friday 24 April 2026

09:00-09:05

Chairperson's Welcome

09:05-09:10

Mayor of Berlin and Senator for Economic Affairs, Energy and Public Enterprises, Franziska Giffey

09:10-09:40

Airline Leader Interview Ryanair CCO Jason McGuinness

Ryanair, CCO, Jason McGuinness

Moderator: Atmosphere Research Group, President, Henry Harteveldt

09:40-10:20

Alliance or Independence: The Strategic Crossroads Reshaping Global Aviation

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?

Moderator: Aviation Week, Executive Editor Commercial Aviation, Jens Flottau

Panel:

Air Serbia, CEO, Jiri Marek

Turkish Airlines, SVP International Relations & Alliances, Özlem Özyön

SkyTeam, Head of Alliances, Cate Leigh

DOHOP, CEO, David Gunnarsson

10:20-10:45

Airline Leader Interview Eurowings CEO Max Kownatzki

Eurowings, CEO, Max Kownatzki

Moderator: KornFerry, Senior Client Partner, Michael Bell

11:10-11:35

Airline Leader Interview Condor CEO Peter Gerber

Condor CEO Peter Gerber

Moderator: JLS Consulting, Director, John Strickland

11:35-11:45

NDC that shows you the money

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.

Travelport International, Global Head of Travel Partners, Damian Hickey

11:45-12:25

Attracting Top Talent to Aviation's Transformation Challenge

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?

Moderator: KornFerry Senior Client Partner, Michael Bell

Panel:

Etihad, Chief People, Government & Corporate Affairs Officer, Nadia Bastaki

Gulf Air, Chief People Officer, Mohamed Matar

EasyJet, Chief People Officer, Elly Tomlins

Southwest Airlines, EVP & Chief People Officer, Elizabeth Bryant

Technical University of Applied Science, Student, Alexander Blenk

12:25-12:45

Advanced Air Mobility - high margins taking flight in 2028

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.

Vertical Aerospace, CEO Stuart Simpson

Bristow Group, Director AAM Simon Meakins

Moderator: CAPA - Centre for Aviation, Head of Analysis, Rich Maslen

12:45-13:25

Aviation's Green Horizon: Navigating the Sustainability Imperative

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.

Moderator: Dooks Capital, Founder, Peter Bellew

Panel:

ATAG, Executive Director, Haldane Dodd

IAG, VP Sustainable Aviation Fuel, Aaron Robinson

TUI Airline, COO, Tilman Reinshagen

Berlin Brandenburg Airport, Head of Corporate and Business Development, Thomas Kohr

13:25-13:30

Chairperson's wrap up

13:30-14:30

Closing Lunch & Networking