• Turrbal Dippil, Songwoman

• Brisbane Airport, CEO, Gert-Jan de Graaff
• Parliament of Australia, Senator the Hon Don Farrell (Pre-recorded message)

• CAPA - Centre for Aviation, Head of Research, Simon Elsegood

Leader Interview

• Flight Centre Travel Group, CEO, Graham 'Skroo' Turner

CAPA will host a selection of high profile Australia Pacific 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.

Moderator: L.E.K Consulting, Partner, George Woods

Panel

• TTF, CEO, Margy Osmond
• Brisbane Airport, CEO, Gert-Jan de Graaff
• ACT Government, Chief Minister, Andrew Barr
• Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Communications & the Arts, Assistant Secretary, Jim Wolfe
• Board of Airline Representatives Australia (BARA), Executive Director, Stephen Pearse

• Air New Zealand, CEO, Greg Foran

One of the lasting effects of the COVID-19 pandemic is expanded awareness among consumers of the impacts of their travel - be they environmental, social or otherwise – and a greater embrace of nature tourism. While consumers across the Asia Pacific are more interested in sustainable travel options than any other region globally, regional carriers generally lag their peers in Europe and North America in offering sustainable options. How do regional markets build on the increased attractiveness of nature tourism, while also highlighting their own environmental credentials?

• How do air transport stakeholders ensure there is easy access to clear and meaningful information needed to make sustainable travel choices? How can transport providers ensure the reliability of environmental and sustainability data being provided to them?

• How do airlines in the region ensure they meet the aviation industry’s ambitious environmental targets, without the same levels of investment and regulatory support enjoyed by airlines in some other regions? What roles do regional governments have in pushing forward sustainability from regional airlines?

• What lessons can be applied in the Asia Pacific from other national and multi-national approaches to mitigating aviation emissions?

• How can regional states - which owe much of their international tourism success to perceptions around their natural beauty and pristine conditions - capitalise on the pivot towards more nature travel?

• Is there a role for businesses and travellers to play in supporting aviation environmental targets?

Moderator: Envest, Executive Director, David Wills

Panel

• Virgin Australia, Chief Corporate Affairs and Sustainability Officer, Christian Bennett
• Air New Zealand, Chief Sustainability Officer, Kiri Hannifin
  
• Travelport, Head of Air Partners, Asia Pacific, Ailsa Brown
• Boeing, Regional Sustainability Lead APAC, Heidi Hauf

 (Invitation Only)

Hosted By:

• Bonza, CEO, Tim Jordan

NDC Explained and a TMC perspective

Whilst it’s been years in development, IATA’s New Distribution Capability (NDC) is gathering new momentum. Adoption by major airlines, distribution partners and the wider corporate travel community is accelerating. But there is still ground to be made with NDC and many questions and complexities to be resolved. Join this session for a comprehensive overview of the journey so far and importantly, what it means for you. Hear a TMC perspective on the impact of NDC to the travel buyer experience.  

• FCM Australia, Head of Account Management, Renos Rologas

• FLYR, General Manager, APAC, Clayton Grant

NDC Discussion - partnering for true customer value

NDC impacts the travel network in many ways. Hear how we are working to provide the best value and choice for travel buyers.

• What does the adoption of NDC mean for corporate travel buyers and travel managers?
• Is there meaningful improvement for the individual corporate traveller thanks to the improved visibility on airline products and the greater flexibility in offerings afforded by NDC?
• How is NDC being integrated into the broader corporate travel ecosystem?

Moderator: FCM Australia, Head of Account Management, Renos Rologas

Panel:

• Sabre, Global Account Director, Anne-Marie King 
• Flight Centre Travel Group, Global Chief Technology Officer, Corporate, Jonathan Clark 

The post COVID-19 travel and tourism megatrends in South Pacific

COVID-19 produced the greatest shift in international traveller behaviour since the start of the Jet Age. The South Pacific has been at the forefront of those changes. Travellers are increasingly embracing technology as part of the travel process. They are also more aware of the impacts of their travel and are increasingly seeking out unique cultural, religious and social encounters, often replacing urban tourism with a broader mix of destinations. At the same time, business travel remains well below pre-pandemic levels, with technology serving as a notable substitute, while luxury travel is reaching new highs.

• How do regional travel and tourism providers pivot to accommodate these changing traveller preferences?

• With the Asia Pacific now largely reopen to international travel, how have the dynamics of the inbound travel market changed for Australia, New Zealand and the Pacific?

• What sort of new destinations are being marketed to outbound travellers from Australasia?

• What does the changing travel mix mean for airlines and other air travel partners?

• How do the tourism-dependent economies of the South Pacific chart a path to greater travel sustainability and resilience in the face of future crises?

Moderator: CAPA - Centre for Aviation, Head of Research, Simon Elsegood

Panel

• Air Tahiti, CEO, Manate Vivish
• Air Caledonie, COO, Phil Busson
• Fiji Airways, Chief Strategy Officer, John Checketts
• Nauru Airlines, CEO, Brett Gebers

Global business travel trends and sustainability

COVID-19 saw global business travel come under immense pressure. The global pandemic cratered business travel volumes and saw new emphasis put on flexible travel, duty-of-care and personal safety. At the same time, companies sought to tame their travel budgets and deal with increased concerns around the environmental impacts of corporate travel. Business travel is coming back, with full recovery in travel spend now forecast as early as the end of 2024. But what has changed? This session will tackle key topics related to global travel trends and sustainability. 

• FCM Consulting Asia Pacific, Head of APAC, Felicity Burke  

Restoring traveller confidence through cooperation and innovation

The resurgence in travel in the last year has brought with it unprecedented disruptions. The air travel industry has been working hard to cope with further growth and changing traveller expectations and requirements. Many in the industry are looking to technology providers to assist with solving issues and help drive improved traveller confidence.

• What is the new traveller requesting of the industry?

• How does the sector come together to ensure improved customer satisfaction?

• What is the role of airlines, airports and suppliers?

• What technology exists to help support airlines and airports?

• How is the distribution landscape shifting as airlines, their customers and suppliers map out new relationships?

• As passengers continue to seek more personalised and flexible content, what digital strategies are being embraced to meet this demand shift?

Moderator: Pangiam, President, Steven Greenway

Panel

• Avalon Airport, CEO, Tony Brun
• Japan Airlines, Vice President Asia, India and Oceania, Richard Engelmann
• Skyscanner, Vice President Strategic Relations & Development, Hugh Aitken
• SITA, Head of Sydney Border Practice, Paul Cross

A return to international travel – is Australia/New Zealand ready?

Globally, international air travel continues to rebuild, with the latest projections indicating global air travel will return to pre-pandemic levels during 2024. This broad global recovery masks the fact that significant variations exist from region to region and between individual markets, which has important implications for airlines through Australasia.

• After a slow start, the US-Australasia travel market rebounded strongly in late 2022 and early 2023. The US-Australia and US-New Zealand markets have undergone a robust recovery and airlines are still planning major capacity additions. What competitive moves are left in these markets and how will things play out once capacity fully returns?

• Southeast Asia’s travel market saw LCCs come to the fore during the pandemic, helping to rapidly restore regional connectivity. At the same time, LCCs are pulling back from some of the long-haul markets where they had previously made inroads. Are LCCs going to re-enter the long haul markets connecting Southeast Asia with destinations in Australia, New Zealand and the rest of the Pacific, or will it default back to full service carriers?

• The recovery of the East-West long haul market between Australasia, the Middle East and Europe has largely performed ahead of expectations, with several of the largest players in the market now back at pre-pandemic levels. With travel demand remaining high, is the market’s health as robust as it appears?

• China formally re-opened its borders to international travel in early Jan-2023, and momentum in the Chinese outbound travel market. However, returning Chinese outbound travellers are showing distinctly different market and travel preferences than before the onset of COVID-19.  Are Australasian travel markets ready for a returning and different Chinese traveller? 

Moderator: Aviation Week, Senior Air Transport Editor, Adrian Schofield

Panel

• Cathay Pacific, General Manager Cargo Service Delivery & Regional General Manager, South West Pacific (designate), Frosti Lau
• Tourism Australia, Executive General Manager, Andrew Hogg
• United Airlines, Regional Manager AU, NZ, FP, Timothy Wallis
• Philippine Airlines, Vice President for Network Planning and External Affairs, Christoph Gaertner
• VietJet, Commercial VP, Jay L Lingeswara