CAPA Airline Leader Summit Americas

The Cayman Islands Government, in partnership with CAPA - Centre for Aviation, hosted the CAPA Airline Leader Summit Americas 2025 and the Global Airport Development (GAD) Americas Summit in Grand Cayman from April 3-4, 2025. This event brought together global and regional aviation leaders to discuss key trends and strategic issues facing airlines, airports, and the broader travel industry.

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 North America. 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 travel sector continues to battle with supply chain challenges, which have slowed crucial aircraft deliveries and forced airlines to revise network plans and slow growth. With these issues expected to persist into 2025 and 2026, how does the industry deal with capacity shortages, adjust forward plans and other uncertainties that supply chain disruptions are producing?

With a trade war potentially looming with Canada's largest export partner and travel market, what is the outlook for Canadian airlines in the next few months and beyond? Join this expert panel comprised of Canadian air transport leaders as they contemplate an unprecedented threat to their businesses and potentially the biggest disruption to Canadian aviation since the COVID-19 pandemic. Beyond this short-term threats and how operators are mitigating the upheaval, the panel will also look at big picture issues and how Canada can create a commercial airline industry that is more competitive, more resilient and better able to withstand sudden macroeconomic shocks.

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 North America. 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.

This panel brings together commercial executives from various airlines to discuss how airlines can continue to deliver revenue and network growth in North America in the context of a maturing market and business model convergence. Are there too many seats chasing the same passengers? What will separate the winners?

CAPA offers its 'Tech Rundown' sessions, comprising short, focused presentations or discussions on an aspect of aviation technology or a particular technology product or service offering. The intent of these are for high-level leaders to highlight major changes or trends in technology, how business realities for aviation-focused companies are shifting and then how a product/service helps. These provide an opportunity to highlight a product/service while placing it in the wider context of major trends in aviation technology trends and developments to inform the CAPA audience.

Oliver had the bright idea of virtual interlining when he was searching for cheap flights as a student. He created a search engine to find what he couldn't elsewhere. Just four years later Kiwi.com is considered one of the most innovative travel tools in the industry.

Aviation is a technology-enabled business. Changes to the technology landscape produce change in everything from how airlines conduct their operations, sell their seats or interact with their passengers. This panel will bring together technology suppliers, third party experts and airlines to explore how shifts in technology can make aviation safer, more predictable and improve the experience for passengers.

CAPA returned to North America in 2025 with the CAPA Airline Leader Summit - Americas. The two-day regional summit was held in Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands across 3-4 April 2025. The lead-off event in CAPA's 2025 Airline Leader Summit series, the gathering brought global and regional aviation leaders to analyse the key trends in aviation across North and South America, as well as dived deep into the developing regional outlook.

The second Trump administration promises to bring with it substantial and rapid changes to US aviation. The new administration has signalled its intention to roll-back regulations around passengers and competition, make changes around US trade policy and shift course on environmental initiatives. This high-level panel will explore how executive teams and boardrooms stay agile and competitive in order to adapt to rapid market shifts.

Mr. Juan Carlos Salazar is the Secretary General of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO). He was first appointed for a three-year term starting August 2021. On 11 March 2024, the ICAO Council renewed his appointment for a second consecutive three-year term, which began in August 2024.

His career in international civil aviation spans over 27 years in various advisory and leadership roles. Prior to his appointment as Secretary General, Mr. Salazar served as Director General of Aeronautica Civil of Colombia – Aerocivil. For the twelve years previous to joining Aerocivil, Mr. Salazar was a Senior Advisor to the UAE General Civil Aviation Authority.

His professional experience also includes terms as the President of Latin American Civil Aviation Commission (LACAC), Secretary of the Colombian Civil Aviation Board and Director of its Air Transport Office, Director General of Air Transport at the Colombian Ministry of Transport, Corporate Secretary and Director of the Legal Department of Tampa Cargo (currently known as Avianca Cargo).

The relationship between leasing companies and airlines is a critical part of the aviation industry, with leasing companies playing a major role in financing and managing aircraft fleets. CAPA - Centre for Aviation data indicates that a significant portion of the global fleet is leased, highlighting the importance of this relationship. 

Ultra low cost airlines are having a tough time in North America, with several operators exiting the market in the last few years and others facing financial difficulties. Yet, at the same time the model appears to be thriving in Latin America, with rapid growth and record profits.

• What is driving the difference in success for the ULCC model between North America and South America?

• Is the growth of 'premiumization' a positive trend for the ULCC/LCC sector in the Americas?

• As LCCs age and grow in size should they continue to go it alone, or are mergers and partnerships with other LCCs and legacy airlines inevitable?

• Should LCC and ULCC operators be looking at new segments, replacing the vanishing regional and secondary market operations of traditional network airlines?

Aviation is a force for change in Latin America, with the industry's rapid growth connecting the continent like never before and bringing traveller, trade and tourism. Yet, the region faces underlying and deep-seated challenges, including limits around infrastructure, policies around taxes and protectionism and the difficulties of building connections to regions with small populations and limited economic development. This panel will take a whole-of-region overview and consider key questions such as:

• How can Latin American airlines build connectivity with the rest of the world?

• What does airline consolidation mean for intra-regional and intercontinental connectivity?

• How do airlines go about building connectivity to smaller regional population centres?

• What models of airport ownership/operation best support regional infrastructure development?

• How do regional carriers support liberalisation and mitigate government moves around aviation taxes and other charges?

• Will the LCC revolution continue at the same pace in Latin America, or is the market starting to see more differentiation and segmentation?

• What are the regional hot spots for growth within Latin America?

Recently named as Forbes Travel Guide's first Hotel Ownership Group of the Year, Dart appreciates the critical impact of aviation trends and market dynamics on the success of the places and experiences the company creates.

Director Jackie Doak will share how the privately held group of companies founded by Ken Dart is:

• Building on its 30-year investment Cayman's growth

• Demonstrating continued confidence in both the Cayman jurisdiction and the strength of the travel industry

• Innovating and improving to help properties and destinations increase demand and earn consideration from aviation leaders

Tourism to the Caribbean is thriving, with the region expected to attract close to 30 million visitors from the Americas in 2025. Having achieved remarkable recent growth, the Caribbean is now looking to build on this success while also overcoming problems of rapid growth.

• Should the Caribbean be taking a pan-regional approach to tourism marketing, or is each destination for itself?

• How do tourism destinations in the region build resilience into their operations, balancing growth in arrivals with protecting the region's prized environmental attractions?

• Are there options to build better intra-regional air connections and more capacity into developing Latin American source markets?

• What do trends around personalisation, luxury travel and sustainability mean for Caribbean destinations?

David Neeleman is that rarest of entrepreneurs, a man who has created and launched a multitude of successful, independent airlines, including the USA's Breeze Airways, JetBlue and Morris Air (later sold to Southwest), Canada's WestJet and Brazil's Azul. David was born in Brazil while his father was Reuter's São Paulo Bureau Chief. His family moved to Utah while he was still a child. His career began in 1984 when he co-founded a low-fare carrier called Morris Air with June Morris, the owner of Salt Lake City-based travel agency Morris Travel. As President of Morris Air, David implemented the industry's first electronic ticketing system and pioneered a home reservation system where calls are handled by reservationists working from their homes. Following the sale of Morris Air and a short period with Southwest Airlines, David took the electronic ticketing system that he had initiated at Morris Air and developed it to become Open Skies, the world's simplest airline reservation system. David sold Open Skies to Hewlett Packard in 1999. Also during this period, David acted as a consultant to WestJet Airlines, the successful Canadian low-fare start-up airline. David then founded JetBlue Airways in New York and spent a decade as Chief Executive Officer (1998 to 2007) and Chairman (2002 to 2008). An amazing success by any measure, JetBlue was an instant hit with travelers and was the first airline to earn $100 million annually within five years, thus becoming a "major" airline fastest. JetBlue has won countless awards and accolades including Top Low Cost Airline for Customer Satisfaction by J.D. Power and Associates and Best Airline by Consumer Reports. It won Conde Nast Traveler's Readers Choice Awards for Best U.S. Airline for seven consecutive years.

Breeze Airways, Chairman & CEO, David Neeleman, spoke to CAPA TV at the CAPA Airline Leader Summit Americas 2025 in the Cayman Islands, 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.

IATA, Regional Vice President The Americas, Peter Cerdá spoke to CAPA TV at the CAPA Airline Leader Summit Americas 2025 in the Cayman Islands, 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.

Sun Country Airlines, CEO, Jude Bricker spoke to CAPA TV at the CAPA Airline Leader Summit Americas 2025 in the Cayman Islands, 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.

Porter Airlines, EVP & CFO, Rob Palmer spoke to CAPA TV at the CAPA Airline Leader Summit Americas 2025 in the Cayman Islands, 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.

Cover Genius, SVP Strategic Partnerships, Peter Smith spoke to CAPA TV at the CAPA Airline Leader Summit Americas 2025 in the Cayman Islands, 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.

The Cayman Islands, Director of Tourism, Department of Tourism, Rosa Harris spoke to CAPA TV at the CAPA Airline Leader Summit Americas 2025 in the Cayman Islands, 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.