CAPA Airline Leader Summit - Asia & Awards for Excellence

Singapore, Singapore

30-31 Oct 2025

Day 2 - 31 October 2025
09:00-09:10	Chairperson's Welcome
09:10-09:40	Aviation Leader Interview, Cebu Pacific CEO Mike Szucs Cebu Pacific, CEO, Mike Szucs Moderator: APAC Network, CSO, Oriel Morrison
09:40-10:25	How AI is shifting the technology and distribution landscape for aviation and travel The travel retail landscape has fragmented for everyone whether they're content suppliers, channel operators, technology partners or the end consumer. New product and pricing models offer greater than ever flexibility, pricing power and personalisation options, but have also vastly increased the complexity of the booking journey and the amount of time and effort needed to complete it. Can new AI solutions like booking agents, consolidation tools and virtual assistants fuse together this travel retail landscape into something more stream-lined, consistent and user friendly? Is the industry taking the wrong view - is fragmentation just the price we pay for a travel retail landscape that is focused on innovation, competitive differentiation and meeting ever-changing demands for greater personalisation, new channels and platforms and ever more customised content? What does AI offer from different perspectives? Does the promise of AI tools for buyers/consumers - of supporting faster, smarter, cheaper and more personalised travel decisions - run up against the AI tools of suppliers/channels, which want to maximise profits and keep consumers/buyers within their own purchasing ecosystems. With the global distribution landscape now more complex and fragmented than ever, we explore the key trends that have tilted the balance in the travel ecosystem. How are changing consumer expectations, channel proliferation, technology diffusion and new retailing opportunities altering the state of play for the sector? What are the latest shifts and developments in the complex distribution landscape to help meet the changing consumer expectations? What role does data-driven traveller insights play at the heart of business strategies and how will it continue to evolve? The impact of AI on Aviation and Travel: How consumers as well as aviation and the travel sector at large, are embracing AI and what it means for travel retailing and beyond. How will AI change the way in which airlines manage disruptions on the day of operations, and enable them to better support passenger journeys? Moderator: Frost & Sullivan, Senior Aviation Consultant, Shantanu Gangakhedkar Panel: Skyscanner, Senior Director APAC, Cyndi Hui Star Alliance, VP Digital & Technology, Luc Lachoix Flightscape - Powered by CAE, Director Product Strategy, Michael Clarke Dohop, CEO, David Gunnarsson
10:25-11:05	Coffee break & Networking
11:05-11:45	The Asia Pacific airline workforce - Dealing with the demands of growth The fast-growing Asia Pacific aviation sector is forecast to require more than 400,000 new aviation professionals over the next decade to meet demand for increase in air travel. With regional airlines already struggling to attract sufficient pilots, cabin crew and engineers just to meet their existing operations, where is this new wave of aviation professionals going to come from? Does aviation have an image problem when it comes to attracting new workers? How does the sector attract and retain new talent? What is the role of internal training, upskilling and re-training in maximizing worker retention? What are the expectations of the next generation of aviation workers? How does the sector look at technologies like AI and automation address workforce gaps? How do Asia Pacific airlines compete for staff with the large airlines of the Middle East, North America and Europe? Moderator: KornFerry, Senior Client Partner, Torbjörn Karlsson Panel: Philippine Airlines, COO, Carlos Luis Fernandez Malaysia Airlines, COO, Nasaruddin A. Bakar
11:45-12:00	Transforming Crew Accommodations: A Major Carrier's Journey with API API Global Solutions, VP Business Development, Vivian Dsouza
12:00- 12:45	Asia Pacific airports - Where to next for the world's fastest growth airport sector? Asia Pacific airport projects are expected to require almost USD200 billion in investments over the decade, to support greenfield facilities and upgrades to existing airports. With 1.6 to 2 billion additional passengers expected over the period, these investments are seen as crucial to meeting anticipated growth and improving aviation's operational performance across the Asia Pacific, while also transforming the passenger experience as technology continues to change. This session will bring together airport infrastructure leaders and other stakeholders to consider a range of questions: Are airport investment plans actually aligned with the realities of growth and forward traffic expectations? If not, where are the key areas where investment and development lagging behind projections? Is a model of best practice emerging when it comes to Asia Pacific regional airport investment? Do Asia Pacific states need to find a balance between the public and private sectors when it comes to funding and operating airports in the region? Apart from runways and other physical infrastructure, what are the priorities for regional airport development? Where are the policy levers than can be pulled to enhance airport infrastructure development in order to support regional air transportation growth? Moderator: Sobie Aviation, Independent Analyst, Brendan Sobie Panel: Hong Kong Airport Authority, Director, Hub Development, Chapman Fong Modalis Infrastructure Partners, Head of Airport IR and Industry Research, Khair Mirza Mactan Cebu/Aboitz Airports, Head of Strategy, Christine Villanueva Watson Farley & Williams, Partner, Alan Polivnick
12:45-12:50	Chairperson's wrap up
12:50-14:00	Closing Lunch & Networking