Speaker: Dr Majdi Sabri, Vice President - MENA, IATA 
 

"Building sustainability through brand equity"

Passengers take it for granted that they will fly in a safe and secure manner. They want to feel as if everything is under control at all times. Airports looking to gain market share must learn to communicate and connect with passengers  at every touch point. Nick Baker, President of SmartDesign Group, explores the value of building brand equity into new & existing airports and what it takes to create a successful program.

Key learning points: 

• Creating the ultimate branded experience
• Setting the standard: the importance of big picture thinking
• Delivering on the brand promise: planning, processing and logistics
• The role of communication in creating the experience

Speaker: Nick Baker, President, Smart Design Group
 

 “Aviation Battle: low cost carrier versus legacy carrier”

Leaders in the airline industry get together to discuss the challenges facing the segment with changing times. This session will provide an indepth look into:

• The impact of low cost carriers on airports
• How low cost carriers can generate new traffic?
• LCC or legacy - what is the right business model for the region?
• Adapting the competitive low cost model

Speakers include:

Stefan Pichler, CEO, Jazeera Airways
Peter Hill, CEO, Oman Air

Moderator: Liz O Reilly, Editor, TTN Middle East

SESSION FOUR   : AVIATION FINANCING, INVESTMENTS AND PRIVATIZATION
 
Growing trend towards privatization
Privatization is currently on the forefront of many as the global aviation industry transforms. Some of the leading airports and airport investors will reveal their development and financial plans, and provide a detailed analysis of the potential there is in the industry. Discussion points to include:

• the role of regulatory authorities on airport charges
• Competition: the effect of choice and the opportunity to set priorities. 
• the effect of the credit crunch on the privatization
• financing options in the time of the tightening credit market

Moderator: James Edmunds, Partner - aviation, Clyde & Co.
Panelist:
Markus Frank, Aviation consultant, Airport Consulting vienna
His Excellency Khalifa Al Mazrouei, Chairman, Abu Dhabi Airports Company Dr Sani Sener, President and CEO, TAV consulting

Optimising aviation assets and unlocking hidden potential

In these challenging times it is as important as ever to optimise aviation assets and unlock hidden value. Robust business cases are at the heart of this and getting this right from day one is fundamental. It will underpin the airport’s development need and critically matches this with passenger demand forecasts. Non-aeronautical activities are an integral part of an airport’s strategy and a key contributor to profitability. Airports that analyse aeronautical and non-aeronautical income streams and link this back to traffic forecasts and facilities planning will create airport environments that maximise income and optimise cost.
• Robust business cases achieve financial certainty: The key   components
• Utilising the aviation estate to maximise income
• Non-aeronautical income strategies offset cost, fund investment and increase profitability
• Transforming airports into Airport Cities 

Speaker: John William, Partner and Middle East regional leader, EC Harris

"Bridging the gap between weather and airport operations"

Weather plays a role in the majority of aviation accidents and incidents. It has also a significant impact on airport efficiency. Vaisala's presentation covers various weather events that affect airport operations. Certain weather phenomena such as low-level wind shear require specific attention. Low-level wind shear is an invisible threat to all aircraft during landing and take-off and it cannot be detected by traditional weather systems.

• The presentation highlights how to detect low-level wind shear and mitigate its impact on airport operations.

Speaker: Hannu Katajamaki, Executive Vice President, Vaisala

sponsored by VAISALA

"AVIATION DISPUTES - HOW TO AVOID OR MANAGE THEM"

Litigation for a business is often likened to a visit to a dentist - often avoidable with preventative measures, mainly unpleasant and never within budget. An additional layer of complication arises from the fact that the business of carriers takes them all over the world, and they are potentially exposed to many legal systems which differ widely in terms of efficiency and predictability.

In his presentation, Professor Khawar Qureshi QC of McNair Chambers Qatar, and one of the leading specialists from the UK in International Law and International Arbitration with extensive experience of aviation disputes will focus on the importance of recognizing at the outset of a business relationship that a dispute may arise in the future, and ensuring that proper protective measures are taken including;
Key Learning Points:

A global approach to reducing aviation emissions.

"How can the industry avoid a patchwork of conflicting and overlapping national and regional policies for aviation?" 

IATA is calling on governments meeting at December’s climate change negotiations in Copenhagen to adopt a global sectoral approach to emissions reductions. The industry has committed to some tough targets including carbon-neutral growth from 2020 and halving emissions by 2050. How will we
achieve these targets? IATA’s Quentin Browell explains how the 4-pillar strategy will get us there and why governments need to think globally as far as aviation is concerned.

Speaker: 
Quentin Browell, Assistant Director, Aviation Environment, IATA
   

 
 

“Carbon Free Future”: The pathway to carbon neutral growth

Get the global perspective on tackling environmental challenges as Leaders from different continents get together in this opening session to discuss the key challenges facing the industry’s commitment to combating global climate change  

Key discussion points include:

• roadmap to the copenhagen meet - what will happen in December?
• results of the recent ICAO high level meeting on climate change
• The role of Government and institutional bodies in ensuring a carbon free future

Panelists include:
Kevin Welsh, Environmental regulatory affairs manager, Air Transport association of America
Quentin Browell, Assistant Director - Aviation environment, IATA
Kurt Edwards, Senior International Advisor, Environment , US Federal Aviation Administration
Moderator: Captain Chris Schroder, Head of CSR, Environment and fuel optimization, Qatar Airways

"Green ICT for the Airport Industry"

Most Airports have decided to implement GREEN strategic plan to reduce their environmental impact. The Information & Communication Technologies (ICT) have tremendous potential to contribute reducing the gas and energy consumptions.
In this session we will discover how much ICT change can affect your Airport’s green credential while reducing costs & growing revenues, what the first steps are and how to bring ICT and Unified Communications (UC) into the Airport’s green plan.
                              

Speaker: Jan Zuurbier, VP - sales and support emerging markets, Alcatel Lucent

"Dispatch Towing: the Green Revolution from Airbus "

Taxiing with main engines is a significant contributor to the environment impact of aircraft operations. Airbus is promoting eco-efficient solutions to limit as far as possible the use of the main engines during ground operations. One of these solutions, the Dispatch Towing, will considerably limit current operations' emissions, while keeping to the pilot the control of the aircraft. Airbus launched at Le Bourget Air Show 2009 a cooperation with Taxibot to evaluate the technical feasibility of there Dispatch Towing concept.

• Upcoming green technologies and procedures to operate an aircraft on taxiway
• Expected benefits from Taxiing Engines Stopped operations
• Airbus Initiatives on Taxiing Engines Stopped
• Focus on Taxibot solution

Speaker: Christophe Cros, Technology platform leader, Airbus
Timoteo Velasco, Consultant, Banner Group