CAPA Asia Aviation Summit & Sustainability Awards

CAPA will host a selection of high profile Asian aviation and travel leaders in a roundtable discussion, covering key topics and important trends in the regional air transport industry. Thought-leaders from across the breadth of the regional aviation market will provide insights into the competitive landscape for airlines and airports in the region, regional progress on traffic and financial recovery, opportunities for future development, trends towards privatisation and consolidation and more.

After a COVID-19 induced lull, aircraft deliveries are set to ramp up across the Asia Pacific in 2023.  More than 700 new aircraft are due to arrive in the region this year, more than double the number in 2022. How will these aircraft be funded? Regional carriers are still largely loss making and finances are yet to recover from the impact of the pandemic. In addition, debt has become more expensive, banks are proving risk averse and export credit agency activity is still strictly limited. 

What is the outlook for aircraft delivery financing for 2023?

Clayton is FLYR's General Manager for Asia Pacific. With over 20 years of experience in both travel and technology roles, Clayton has a wealth of knowledge and expertise in the industry and particularly the Asia Pacific region. Having worked and led airline revenue management and commercial teams, Clayton brings a unique perspective to the table. With time spent at travel technology organisations Sabre and PROS, Clayton has a strong background in the technology behind airline revenue management. Passionate about airline revenue management, Clayton is dedicated to helping companies optimize their revenue and drive growth.

In this session we hear from some of the Sustainability Award winners this year. The winners across the global and regional categories are as a result of their leading rankings from the CAPA Envest Global Environmental Sustainability Benchmarking Report 2023, while additional categories were selected from a rigorous judging process led by CAPA’s internal analysts.

The category winners have established themselves as leaders among their peers, providing a model of operation that others can aspire to.

Tomasz Pawliszyn is the highly motivated CEO of AirHelp with 20 years of executive leadership experience in complex and high-growth environments. Tomasz has driven major business transformation projects globally. He has led multichannel retailer Studio Moderna as Global Director of Operations and then as Regional Executive Director for the CEE region. He holds an MSc degree from Silesian University of Technology, an MBA from Vlerick Business School in Belgium, and an Advanced MBA from Said Business School at the University of Oxford.

CAPA will host a selection of high profile aviation leaders in a roundtable discussion, covering key topics and important trends in the air transport industry. Thought leaders covering the breadth of the aviation market will provide insights into the competitive landscape for airlines and airports, progress on traffic and financial recovery, opportunities for future development, trends towards privatisation and consolidation and more.

Tan Sri Datuk Zainun Ali was appointed as Malaysia Airports’ Non-Independent Non-Executive Chairman on 17 February 2023. She previously served the same role from 18 January 2019 to 11 August 2020. Prior to venturing into the corporate world, Tan Sri Datuk Zainun amassed an extensive experience in the judiciary field through her involvement as a member of the Malaysian Judiciary, retiring as a Federal Court Judge in 2018. Her stellar career on the Bench saw her handing down several landmark judgments which have impacted Malaysian jurisprudence. She holds a Masters in Law Degree from the University of Cambridge, United Kingdom. At present, Tan Sri Datuk Zainun Ali is a Director of Permodalan Nasional Berhad (PNB), a Director with Allianz Malaysia Berhad (AMB) and a Consultant in the legal firm of Zain & Co . She also sits as a judge in the Administrative Tribunal of the Islamic Development Bank of Jeddah and is a registered arbitrator at the Asian International Arbitration Centre (AIAC). Tan Sri Datuk Zainun also sits on the Advisory Board of the United Nations (UN) Global Judicial Integrity Network, and is the Deputy Chairman of the Enforcement Agency Integrity Commission (EAIC).

The Honourable Loke Siew Fook serves as the Minister of Transport in the Unity Government under Prime Minister YAB Dato’ Seri Anwar Ibrahim, having been sworn in on 3rd December 2022. As Minister, he is committed to a world-class public transportation as a means to alleviate traffic congestion and deliver sustainable mobility. To this end, Mr Loke is focused on improving the efficiency and reliability of Malaysia’s public transportation on top of cultivating a culture of maintenance for these critical infrastructures and related facilities. He also wants to enhance road safety in the country. Mr Loke is an advocate for the digitisation of key government services, having overseen the digitisation of the bidding system for car number plates under the Road Transport Department (JPJ) during his first stint as the Minister of Transport from May 2018 to February 2020. Mr Loke is pressing ahead with the digitisation agenda with the firm belief that it will provide a more seamless and satisfactory experience for the public.

Datuk Captain Izham bin Ismail is the Group Managing Director of Malaysia Aviation Group and Malaysia Airlines Berhad. He has 40 years of experience in the aviation industry, having started his career with Malaysia Airlines as a pilot in 1979. Appointed to a management position just 10 years after joining Malaysia Airlines, Datuk Captain Izham moved up the ranks over the years and has held various management positions such as Executive Vice President of Flight Operations, Director of Operations and Chief Operations Officer (COO) of Malaysia Airlines. Datuk Captain Izham also served as CEO of MASwings, Malaysia Airlines’ sister company in Sabah and Sarawak, between July and November 2016. As a pilot, Datuk Captain Izham broke world aviation records when he flew Malaysia Airlines’ first Boeing 777-200 eastward from Seattle to Kuala Lumpur and back. The flight set new world records for longest flight and fastest round-the-world flight by a commercial airliner, with a total flight time of 41 hours 59 minutes over a distance of 23,310 miles.

David Wills is a sustainability business leader and strategic advisor who has over 30 years of industry and sustainability advisory experience. He has an engineering background, starting his career as a refinery engineer followed by a range of technical, management and business leadership roles in industry and consulting. Prior to co-founding Envest Global in 2020, David spent 13 years at CH2M HILL and 14 years at ERM, one of the world’s leading sustainability advisory firms. During his time with ERM he held numerous senior management roles including Managing Director for the Australia, NZ, Indonesia and PNG businesses (2007-13) and Asia Pacific Commercial Director (2015-20). Since establishing Envest Global, his focus has been on supporting companies in the aviation industry adapt to the low carbon economy transition and to achieve net zero carbon emissions through the development and implementation of innovative carbon reduction and investment strategies.

The pandemic greatly raised consumer awareness about the environmental impacts of the entire travel process. But, while consumers weren’t flying during the pandemic they were still dreaming about travel and planning their next trip. With borders now open and Asia Pacific travel demand roaring back, the air transport industry faces the task of appealing to a consumer who is more discerning in their travel decisions, seeking more environmentally friendly travel options and more a little more willing to pay a premium for sustainability through the process.

• As Asia Pacific airlines continue to capitalise on pent-up demand for travel, what are the key sustainability trends that are emerging globally and within the region?

• What are the strategies that regional travel and tourism sector operators have been employing to capture the sustainability-minded consumer?

• Consumers seeking sustainable travel options are concerned about a lack of transparent, independently verified sustainability data. What are the best options to ensure travellers have the information needed to make informed decisions?

• What roles do governments and pan-regional organisations in the Asia Pacific have in supporting the aviation industry’s ambitions around sustainability and reducing emissions? Is there sufficient political and social capital for a pan-regional effort, or will national programmes continue to take the lead?

Vivian is the Head of Sales - Asia for CAE Flight Operations Solutions and focuses on helping airlines harness the power of technology to improve operational performance, profitability and passenger experience. Vivian spent the past decade working with multiple start-ups and establishing airlines across the globe to introduce digitization within their ops, crew, dispatch, maintenance & engineering functions. He was previously the Sales Leader - Asia & Eastern Europe with Merlot Aero, an airline crew operations and optimization software company prior to which he held business development roles at Laminaar Aviation Infotech, Solutions Aero & ENGRAV Systems. Vivian holds a Bachelor of Engineering in Aircraft & Rocket Design from National Aerospace University, Ukraine.

More than a third of global air cargo touches the Asia Pacific, with the sector holding greater importance for local carriers than those in other regions. During COVID-19, Asia Pacific carriers turned to cargo as a much-needed lifeline, supported by the rapidly developing eCommerce sector and temporary shifts in consumer demands. However, the uptick has only been temporary. Air cargo demand has waned through the latter part of 2022 and into the first half of 2023. As capacity has returned to more normal levels, yields are returning towards long-term averages.

• How is the Asia Pacific cargo sector managing the recent cargo downturn?

• With China’s economic engine continuing to gather speed, supply chains being reknitted and economic headwinds expected to ease in the second half of 2023, what is the outlook for the Asia Pacific air cargo market?

• What are the long-term changes that COVID-19 brought to the regional cargo sector? What are the short-term trends that are expected to disappear?

With China’s borders now re-opened to international travel, waves of outbound travel are expected to build in the market. After almost three years of restricted travel, Chinese travellers are back but their demands and expectations are not the same as before the pandemic. Chinese travellers have initially opted for ‘safe’ markets, including Hong Kong, Macau and select regional destinations. COVID-19 has also accelerated the swing away from large, organised tour groups and towards individual and small group travel with freer itineraries.

• As Chinese outbound travel continues to grow, what impact will it have on regional tourism and travel markets? What are the next big destinations for Chinese travellers?

• With China’s large state-owned airline resting both short-haul and long-haul connectivity, how will regional capacity and networks be affected?

• How are the priorities of the Chinese outbound travel market in the post pandemic period? How can air transport providers and destinations improve their attractiveness to the outbound market.

Riad Asmat was appointed AirAsia Malaysia (AirAsia Berhad) CEO on 10 January 2018 and is responsible for the management of the company's Malaysia-based operations. Riad is one of Malaysia’s most respected young corporate leaders. He began his career in the Managing Director’s Office for Proton Holdings Berhad, where he was responsible for supporting and coordinating key initiatives conceptualised by the managing director in improving overall performance of the group alongside key dimensions such as strategic, operational and finance. In 2010, he switched gears when he was appointed Chief Executive Officer for Caterham Automotive. In his role, he made tremendous achievements with the establishment of the Caterham F1 Team as well as Caterham Racing-GP2 which clinched numerous podium finishes in Monaco, Singapore and many more. Further to that, he also established another supplementary programme together with Arden Racing and created a team that competed in the World Series by Renault, finishing second in the Constructors Championship 2012. He then served as the Director of Corporate Planning, Strategy and Business Development for Naza Corporation Holdings Sdn Bhd from 2014 until 2017, before taking off to the skies with AirAsia. He pursued his studies at the Western Michigan University Kalamazoo, Michigan and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts, majoring in Public Relations, and also holds a Masters of Arts from the esteemed university.

As travel has returned across the Asia Pacific, it’s becoming increasingly apparent that consumer expectations and demands of the traveller are changing across all stages of the journey. COVID-19 has produced a transformation in expectations about the travel process for consumers in the region, from how they research, plan and book a trip, to where they want to travel, who they want to travel with and what they want to spend their money on. 

Given the regional lockdowns and uncoordinated nature of border closures and travel bans imposed during the pandemic, it’s unsurprising that a degree of uncertainty and caution prevails for international travel. Asia Pacific travellers have also been slower to abandon concerns around health and safety, have shortened their planning and booking windows and are retaining heightened demands concerning the level of timely information and support made available to them through the travel process.  

COVID-19 also accelerated a range of ongoing issues: Regional consumers continue to pivot towards online & direct sales channels and mobile booking; travellers are becoming more independent, particularly in younger generations; consumers are more conscious about sustainable travel and tourism options and their personal impact when the travel.   

Technology is at the heart of the air travel sector’s response to these disruptive changes. The industry is pushing digital solutions to facilitate new preferences and ways of interacting with travel.  

• What are the key technologies that Asia Pacific travel firms need to adopt to meet changing regional travel trends?  

• What are the technology priorities for the traveller through different stages of the journey? 

• With the rise of the ‘always on’ traveller and greater desire to stay informed, what information does the regional traveller want, and what can they do without? 

• How are travel research/planning, booking and payment trends changing? 

• Should regional travel companies be pioneering technology development to create bespoke solutions, partnering with third party firms/using established systems or outsourcing development completely? 

• Are regional travel companies falling behind, and if so, what can they do to keep up with new trends? 

The rapid recovery of passenger traffic during 2022 also saw a spike in operational disruptions globally – leading to queues in airports, delays and cancellations for airlines and disgruntled travellers. With the Asia Pacific undergoing a slower traffic recovery, these problems have not been as pronounced for much of the region. However, with supply chains disrupted and labour markets upended, airlines have still struggled to get things right on the operational front.  

As traffic continues to build and some markets push beyond pre-pandemic levels, the performance of the regional air travel sector remains under pressure. Airlines and airports will need to work with the public sector providers to ensure that the system is robust and able to handle both peak volumes and interrupted and irregular operations.

• What operational lessons have Asia Pacific carriers drawn from the experience of the last few years? 

• How have regulators and aviation authorities acting to ensure their own performance matches the demands of the system? 

• With digitalisation and automation on the rise, how are these technologies enabling airports, airlines and the supply chain to enhance their operational performance? 

• What are the key areas of concern in the long term? Is infrastructure, workforce, public-private interaction or something else the key concern? 

• What are the bottlenecks that remain in the system? 

The past few years have not been kind to large airports in Asia.  With regional lockdowns, a morass of COVID-19 travel requirements and stubbornly closed international borders, the recovery in the region has trailed behind the rest of the world.  

However, as lockdowns have ended and borders reopened passenger traffic in the region has started to return to more ‘normal’ volumes. In 2023 airports have enjoyed a steep rebound in traffic, with travellers eager to return to destinations that have been cut off to them in the past few years, or to explore new destinations. 

Recovery in the region has been far from uniform though. Domestic markets have generally performed well. The return of international travel in the region, though, has been much more uneven. As in the rest of the world, short haul and leisure travel has come back quickly, but intercontinental and business traffic has lagged well behind. 

A full return to pre-pandemic traffic volumes across the region is still a little way ahead. In the interim, the region will be a hotbed of aviation activity as connectivity is restored, networks are rebuilt, and new traveller preferences are catered to. 

Traveller demands and expectations of airports have also shifted. In response, airports have had to become more agile, embracing new systems that are personalised to the individual passenger, bringing on on-demand services, contactless journeys and other changes to the passenger experience. 

• What are the key challenges for airports across the region? 

• How has the demand for services – from airlines and travellers – changed since the start of the pandemic? 

• What are the priorities for airports with the ongoing shift to digitalisation? 

• What physical changes to airport spaces are occurring as airports re-define the passenger experience? 

AirAsia Berhad, CEO, Riad Asmat, spoke to CAPA TV at the CAPA Australia Pacific Aviation Summit 2023 in Brisbane 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.   

Malaysia Airports Holdings Berhad, Senior GM, Strategy, Megat Ardian Wira Mohd Aminuddin, spoke to CAPA TV at the CAPA Australia Pacific Aviation Summit 2023 in Brisbane 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.   

Malaysia Aviation Group, Group Managing Director, Datuk Capt Izham Ismail, spoke to CAPA TV at the CAPA Australia Pacific Aviation Summit 2023 in Brisbane 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.   

Batik Air, Group Strategy Director, Chandran Rama Muthy, spoke to CAPA TV at the CAPA Australia Pacific Aviation Summit 2023 in Brisbane 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.   

Riad Asmat was appointed AirAsia Malaysia (AirAsia Berhad) CEO on 10 January 2018 and is responsible for the management of the company's Malaysia-based operations. Riad is one of Malaysia’s most respected young corporate leaders. He began his career in the Managing Director’s Office for Proton Holdings Berhad, where he was responsible for supporting and coordinating key initiatives conceptualised by the managing director in improving overall performance of the group alongside key dimensions such as strategic, operational and finance. In 2010, he switched gears when he was appointed Chief Executive Officer for Caterham Automotive. In his role, he made tremendous achievements with the establishment of the Caterham F1 Team as well as Caterham Racing-GP2 which clinched numerous podium finishes in Monaco, Singapore and many more. Further to that, he also established another supplementary programme together with Arden Racing and created a team that competed in the World Series by Renault, finishing second in the Constructors Championship 2012. He then served as the Director of Corporate Planning, Strategy and Business Development for Naza Corporation Holdings Sdn Bhd from 2014 until 2017, before taking off to the skies with AirAsia. He pursued his studies at the Western Michigan University Kalamazoo, Michigan and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts, majoring in Public Relations, and also holds a Masters of Arts from the esteemed university.

As travel has returned across the Asia Pacific, it’s becoming increasingly apparent that consumer expectations and demands of the traveller are changing across all stages of the journey. COVID-19 has produced a transformation in expectations about the travel process for consumers in the region, from how they research, plan and book a trip, to where they want to travel, who they want to travel with and what they want to spend their money on. 

Given the regional lockdowns and uncoordinated nature of border closures and travel bans imposed during the pandemic, it’s unsurprising that a degree of uncertainty and caution prevails for international travel. Asia Pacific travellers have also been slower to abandon concerns around health and safety, have shortened their planning and booking windows and are retaining heightened demands concerning the level of timely information and support made available to them through the travel process.  

COVID-19 also accelerated a range of ongoing issues: Regional consumers continue to pivot towards online & direct sales channels and mobile booking; travellers are becoming more independent, particularly in younger generations; consumers are more conscious about sustainable travel and tourism options and their personal impact when the travel.   

Technology is at the heart of the air travel sector’s response to these disruptive changes. The industry is pushing digital solutions to facilitate new preferences and ways of interacting with travel.  

• What are the key technologies that Asia Pacific travel firms need to adopt to meet changing regional travel trends?  

• What are the technology priorities for the traveller through different stages of the journey? 

• With the rise of the ‘always on’ traveller and greater desire to stay informed, what information does the regional traveller want, and what can they do without? 

• How are travel research/planning, booking and payment trends changing? 

• Should regional travel companies be pioneering technology development to create bespoke solutions, partnering with third party firms/using established systems or outsourcing development completely? 

• Are regional travel companies falling behind, and if so, what can they do to keep up with new trends? 

Jonathan devised and maintains CAPA's world airline operating margin forecast, publishes regular analytical insight on trends and developments in the European and global airline markets and represents CAPA at frequent aviation conferences and in the media. Before joining CAPA in 2013, he spent 13 years as an equity research analyst in London covering European airlines and airports for Société Générale, HSBC and Deutsche Bank. His involvement in aviation/aerospace started with his early career at BAE Systems more than 30 years ago. He holds a Bachelor's degree in Mathematics and Physics from the University of Bristol and a Masters in Business Administration from London Business School.

Despite an apparent decrease in the number of business travellers, airlines are reporting that levels of premium travel are nearing levels seen before the pandemic. Part of this is a shift in leisure markets towards premium travel. More travellers are demanding a premium experience, initially as part of the ‘revenge travel’ phenomenon to make up for the COVID enforced hiatus and now as a wider shift towards luxury voyages. Whether it is at the airport, in the air or at their accommodation, a new segment of the market is demanding a premium travel experience. 

• How are airlines and airports accommodating the new breed of luxury-focused traveller?

• How have new working arrangements and the shift to ‘bleisure’ travel contributed to this trend?

• Do rising travel costs – particularly airfares, booking and entertainment – signal an end to the trend, are travellers new spending habits here to stay?

• Can business travel be re-invented and reinvigorated to accommodate new trends in working and budgets?

• Have the priorities of business travel suppliers and business travel buyers diverged?

With the airline industry saddled with debt from the COVID-19 pandemic, the cost of financing on the increase and aircraft deliveries trending towards pre-pandemic levels, what is the outlook for commercial aircraft financing?

• Airline credit ratings took a hit during the pandemic. How do airlines build back their credit ratings while battling heavy debt loads and the increased cost of capital?

• Airline lessors are expected to fund around 50% (or more) of global fleet deliveries in the next year. How well placed are lessors to absorb a higher cost of debt?

• Outside of banks, lessors and internal cash, how are alternative financing options changing?

• Environment, Society and Governance (ESG) issues have been hugely important in the finance sector. How does sustainability linked financing and other ESG elements factor into consideration for aircraft financing?

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. 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). Mr. Salazar is a lawyer and has earned advanced degrees from Harvard University (Master in Public Administration - MPA) and McGill University (Master in Air and Space Law - LLM). He is fluent in Spanish, English and French, and speaks basic Arabic.

Global fleets are almost full back into operation, with only a fraction of the jets grounded by COVID-19 yet to return to service. Yet, the outlook for the global commercial airline fleet has changed – regional jet and widebody deliveries remain depressed and the rebuild of production rates for the ever-popular and ever more capable narrowbodies remain frustratingly slow. This has major implications across the aviation industry value chain.

• With delivery delays expected to continue for the next few years, what strategies are airlines using to meet their capacity needs and keep their fleets operating?

• How are MRO operators looking to benefit from airlines delaying fleet retirements and keeping older/more maintenance intensive aircraft in service for longer?

• What are the implications of the expansion of eCommerce demand for the aircraft conversion sector?

Over the past three years the aviation industry has been constantly looking back to life before the COVID-19 pandemic hit the world. And why wouldn’t it?  

The 2000s can be fairly described as a strong decade for global aviation, with an additional 1.8 billion annual passengers taking to the air by the end of the decade. Annual traffic had risen from 2.67 billion in 2010 to 4.46 billion in 2019 and the stable operating environment provided a platform for airlines to deliver stronger financial performance. 

After constantly comparing the weaker performance of 2020, 2021 and 2022 with pre-pandemic data and highlighting the gradual recovery of air transportation, now is the time to stop looking back and start looking forward and not lose sight of the challenges that lay ahead.  

The world’s aviation markets have awoken from their COVID-19 slumber. However, behind this strong performance and declarations of numerous airlines that demand remains quite strong, one glaring question remains – when will this thirst for travel born from the pandemic be quenched?  

No definitive answer is emerging, as airline executives try to determine the shape demand will take in 2024 and beyond. 

Mr. Pieter Elbers is an airline business leader with over 30 years’ experience in aviation. Prior to joining IndiGo in early September 2022, he was the President & Chief Executive Officer of KLM. He started his career at KLM in 1992 as Manager Aircraft loading. During his tenure at KLM, he held various key managerial positions in The Netherlands, Japan, Greece, and Italy. In 2005, he was appointed as Senior Vice President Network & Alliances, promoted to Chief Operating Officer in 2011, and to President & CEO in 2014. During this time, he was also an executive of the AIR FRANCE-KLM Group. Pieter has a bachelor’s degree in Logistics Management and a master’s degree in Business Economics, and has completed various executive programs at IMD, Lausanne and Columbia University, New York. Pieter is also a member of the Board of Governors at IATA.

Adel Al Ali is well known for being at the forefront of the development of modern aviation. His innovative achievements and contribution to air transport and tourism sector in the wider Arab world are globally recognised. He managed to transform Arab aviation in October 2003 when he set up Air Arabia, the Middle East and North Africa’s first low-cost carrier (LCC), opening up a market niche in the region whose existence few had suspected. The pioneering aviator drove Air Arabia’s growth in the next decade into the largest low cost carrier in the MENA region, as well as the first publicly owned airline in the Arab World and it’s largest by market value. Drawing on his multiple years of experience with industry leaders such as Gulf Air and British Airways, Adel has also been able to guide Air Arabia to become amongst the world’s best run Low Cost Carriers, delivering a profit for every year in succession. Under the leadership of Adel, Air Arabia’s business model has gone from strength-to-strength, enabling it to expand operations, enter new ventures and diversify into new revenue streams. Today, the Group holds a portfolio of successful businesses and projects, offering travel, tourism and hospitality services across the globe. In addition to being the Group Chief Executive Officer of Air Arabia, Adel is also the chairman of Sharjah Information Systems Associates, Alpha Aviation Academy and Cozmo Travel and he is a board member of Sharjah Aviation Services. Adel has been awarded ‘Airline CEO of the year’ by various industry forums. He recently received the prestigious 2020 Laureate Award for extraordinary achievement in airline strategy. Earlier he won the “Airline Business Award” at the esteemed Airline Strategy Awards and he was also named ‘World’s best Low Cost Carrier CEO’ during the World LCC Congress. Adel has also entered the “Hall of Fame Award” in honoring his contribution to the Middle East Aviation. 

Adrian Neuhauser was named President and CEO of Avianca in April 2021 after joining the Company as CFO in 2019. In his role as CFO, Adrian led Avianca’s 2019 out -of -court restructuring, subsequently arranging and overseeing the Company’s successful Chapter 11 reorganization and emergence during the COVID -19 pandemic.

Prior to Avianca, Mr. Neuhauser worked for over 20 years at various investment banks, including Credit Suisse, Deutsche Bank, and Bank of America Merrill Lynch, where he gained extensive experience advising transportation sector clients, including airlines, aircraft lessors, railroads, and logistics companies. Between 2012 and 2014, Mr. Neuhauser served as President of Railex, a refrigerated unit train and third -party logistics provider, which was subsequently acquired by Union Pacific. He holds a dual bachelor's degree in Economics and Business Administration from the Pontificia Universidad Católica in Santiago, Chile.

Max Kownatzki started his career in 2002 at the strategy consultancy Oliver Wyman in New York and Munich. Until 2013, he advised clients from the airline industry as Senior Partner with a special focus on strategic alliances and commercial airline topics. In 2013, he was appointed Chief Strategy Officer of the Australian Jetstar Group, a subsidiary of Qantas Airways. Two years later, in 2015 he joined Lufthansa as Chief Commercial Officer of Eurowings Europe and then headed the establishment and development of the company within the Wings Project. Subsequently, as Senior Vice President he was in charge of business development at Eurowings. From 2017 to 2020, he was accountable for network planning and strategic alliances of the hub airlines Lufthansa, Swiss, Austrian, Brussels Airlines and also a member of the Supervisory Board of Air Dolomiti. He has been the CEO of SunExpress since April 2020. Max Kownatzki studied business administration in St. Gallen, Switzerland, and subsequently obtained his doctoral degree. He holds a commercial pilot’s license.

Travel intentions remain undampened in the post-pandemic world, but traveller preferences continue to evolve.

• How has the search & intentions space changed? Are travellers seeking new sources of inspiration for where they travel and stay?

• How has the booking space changed? What options are travellers demanding from their preferred booking platforms?

• How are travellers' interactions with technology evolving through the travel process?

• How has the spending space changed? Where are travellers putting the emphasis on spending, and where are they seeking to save money?

• What do travellers want through the journey? Will the emphasis on contactless technologies and self-service continue, or will preferences snapback towards other service propositions?

• GDSs and other intermediaries are playing a larger role in the NDC adoption process than previously expected. Is it airlines, technology providers, GDSs or other industry players that are driving the adoption of NDC?