BRUSSELS - More than 800 aviation executives from more than 70 countries meet today in Brussels for the 28th ACI Europe/World General Assembly, Congress & Exhibition hosted by Brussels Airport. The event is one of the most important on the aviation calendar and brings together leading industry CEO speakers including Brussels Airport, Airports Company South Africa, Munich Airport, Norwegian Airlines, Lufthansa and Airport Authority Hong Kong. The conference will take place in Brussels at the Square Meeting Centre from 18-20 June.
In an effort to spur better collaboration airlines and airports, this year’s event will close with an exclusive ‘industry insights’ interview with ACI World Director General Angela Gittens and IATA Director General Alexandre de Juniac, conducted by Flight Global senior reporter Oliver Clark. The two top aviation industry leaders will explore and debate the top industry issues that are discussed during the conference.
The conference theme is “Airports as Brands and Businesses” and aims to address the challenges associated with the evolution of airports around the world into businesses building their own brand and strengthening their direct relationships with air travellers.
Some key highlights of the conference include:
- Welcome address from Didier Reynders, Deputy Prime Minister of Belgium
- State of the Industry presentation by Olivier Jankovec, Director General ACI EUROPE
- Announcement of EUROCONTROL’s new airport capacity study, Challenges of Growth
- Keynote Speech by Carsten Spohr, CEO, Lufthansa
- Keynote Interview with Bjorn Kos, CEO, Norwegian
- Airport Leaders’ Symposium featuring a panel of leading CEOs from across the globe
- Airline Leaders’ Symposium with CEOs from three continents.
Olivier Jankovec, Director General, ACI Europe said “We are delighted to have this joint-event in our hometown this year, in collaboration with the excellent team at Brussels Airport. We have a genuinely collaborative programme lined up - with senior representatives from airports, airlines, air traffic management, investors, tech and more - without forgetting our institutional & political stakeholders. There will be no shortage of announcements, new publications and showcasing of some of the most exciting developments going on in the airport industry, as well as analysis of the potential implications of things happening beyond air transport, such as rising oil prices, Brexit and more. We look forward to seeing you there.”
Angela Gittens, Director General, ACI World said “Our annual conference comes at a time when the crucial issues of investment in airport infrastructure and our industry’s response to the growth in the demand for air services are being strongly debated. In addition to the comprehensive programme, our annual conference provides a meeting point for industry leaders to exchange new ideas, learn from each other, and prepare for the future of this fast-growing industry. This conference provides our industry’s opportunity to present views on these hot topics. The benefits of aviation are best optimized when all stakeholders and partners work together to support the sustainable growth of aviation by connecting more people and businesses with more places.”
Arnaud Feist, CEO of Brussels Airport Company said “The ACI World and ACI Europe congress is a major highlight in the annual calendar of aviation professionals. It is the perfect occasion to meet colleagues from other airports, exchange thoughts and pick up new ideas. The various trend and market analyses, panels and presentations are a source of inspiration to participants. Being the host of such an important congress is quite an honour.”
The conference will be preceded by a day of dedicated specialist seminars on the themes of Safety & Operations, Cargo, Human Resources, Security & Facilitation and a meeting of airport industry business partners, members of ACI’s World Business Partner programme.
