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ITB
Convention - Market Trends &
Innovations ITB
Aviation Day- The Future of Air
Transport Berlin:
According to statistics recently released by the
International Air Transport Association (IATA),
international passenger traffic grew by 7.6% in
2005. Although this was well below the 15.3% growth
recorded in 2004, the result confirms that the
industry is returning to a more normal growth
pattern after the shocks of the last few
years. Nevertheless,
there are lots of uncertainties facing the industry
as the still-unknown impact of higher fuel costs
continues to filter through to consumer spending.
Since the airline industry is in the frontline of
economic indicators, any change will of course be
quickly felt. "This
makes the subject of Aviation Day, being organised
in the context of the ITB Convention, so
pertinent," says Professor Dr Roland Conrady,
Academic Director of the ITB Convention.
ITB
Aviation Day - The Future of Air Transport is a
full-day event, taking place on Wednesday, 8 March
from 10.30-17.30 in hall 7.1a, in the New York 1
Auditorium. The different sessions will cover a
wide range of themes, featuring high-level
speakers, and focused primarily on current
developments in terms of airports, airlines and
aircraft. Is
the low-cost boom really over? Not as far as Asia
is concerned One
session that is sure to be a hot favourite is the
future of low-cost airlines (LCCs), which will
include a close look at what is happening in the
fast-growing Asia Pacific region. A recently
published report by the US consulting group, Arthur
D Little, says that the boom in low-cost airline
travel is over. Yet there are many industry
analysts who would disagree &endash; especially
those in Asia Pacific. "Despite
the uncertainties surrounding the impact of higher
oil prices, we're seeing unprecedented orders for
new aircraft by Asian operators &endash; not least
the LCCs," says John Koldowski, Head of the
Strategic Intelligence Centre of the Pacific Asia
Travel Association (PATA), who will be moderating
this session at ITB Aviation Day. "And this is in
response to opportunities for expansion within and
beyond the region. "Budget
airlines have really taken off in this part of the
world. Singapore's Changi Airport, for example,
reported an increase from 70 weekly flights to six
cities in March 2005 to 179 flights to 17 cities
six months later." One
of the leaders in the LCC sector in Asia, AirAsia,
is planning a number of new routes in 2006 &endash;
from its base in Kuala Lumpur to Ho Chi Minh City,
Vietnam, Myanmar and Laos. And these routes are in
addition to new routes already inaugurated this
year to Balikpapan and Solo in Indonesia, and Siem
Reap in Cambodia. "There
is huge untapped potential in Southeast Asia," says
Tony Fernandes, founder and CEO of AirAsia and its
sister airline Thai AirAsia. "When we launched our
low-cost operations three years ago, only 6% of
Malays had ever travelled by plane. And the
respective percentages were even lower among Thais
and Indonesians. "By
linking destinations which have never been served
before, and by offering attractive prices, we have
really opened up a new era in Asian aviation," Mr
Fernandes says. Among
the other very interesting themes being covered by
ITB Aviation Day is that of aircraft models of the
future. A keynote presentation by Dr Adam Pilarski,
one of the world's leading aviation economists,
will discuss the type of aircraft that will be
needed in the future, the competition between
Airbus's A380 and Boeing's 787, and how the market
for regional jets is likely to
develop. Gold
fever in the Gulf: global hub in the desert sand?
is another of the highly topical issues being
presented. What are the strategies behind the huge
investments currently being made in new aircraft
and airports in the region? And what will the
fall-out be for other regions as a result of the
probable shift in traffic flows? The
full-day conference is packed with interesting
subjects critical to the future of global air
transport. The remaining sessions will look at
airports in the EU &endash; How many does Europe
need? And who is footing the bill? &endash; the
mega-challenge in air traffic: fuel efficiency; and
consolidation in Europe's skies. ITB
Aviation Day, which is being organised in
co-operation with Flugrevue, OAG and Booz Allen
Hamilton, will be chaired by Dr Keith Mason,
Director of the Department of Air Transport at the
UK's Cranfield University. Press
Contact: Messe
Berlin GmbH: Astrid Ehring, Press & Public
Relations Messedamm
22 14055
Berlin Tel.:
+4930 3038-2275, Fax: +4930
3038-2141 ehring@messe-berlin.de
www.messe-berlin.de
w&p
Wilde & Partner Public
Relations GmbH: Christiane Wolff , Senior
PR-Consultant Nymphenburgerstraße
168 80634
München Tel.:
+4989 179190-20 Fax:
+4989 179190-99 info@wilde.de
www.wilde.de
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