GALF brings global aviation leaders to Dubai

H.H. Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, president of Dubai Civil Aviation Authority and chairman of Dubai Airports, said, "The Forum will bring together under one roof the global aviation regulators and civil aviation authorities to explore best practices and collaborate on the establishment of clear legislative frameworks, policy priorities, transparent governance systems, and effective funding strategies to accommodate the growth in the region - 400 million passengers by 2020. The combined efforts will help further promote the success of a thriving aviation industry in the region."

Among the galaxy of speakers are Khalifa Al Zaffin, executive chairman, Dubai Aviation City Corporation, Benito De Leon, director, Office of Airport Planning and Programming, Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), Hussein Dabbas, Regional Vice President MENA, IATA, Paul Griffiths (right), ceo, Dubai Airports, Francesco Violante, ceo, SITA, Daniel Moylan, aviation advisor to the Mayor of London, Alan Lamond, vice chairman, British Aviation Group (BAG), Colm McLoughlin, executive vice chairman, Dubai Duty Free, Adel Ali, ceo, Air Arabia, and Thani Al Zaffin, director general, Emaratech.

The other discussion leaders include Martin Craigs, ceo, Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA), Dieter A. Heinz, president, German Airport Technologies & Equipment (GATE), Dr. Waleed Youssef, cso, TAV Airports Turkey, Mohamed Al Binfalah, ceo, Bahrain Airport, Sean Carney, chief design officer, Royal Philips Electronics, professor Tod Laursen, president and professor of Mechanical Engineering, Khalifa University of Science, Technology & Research (KUSTAR), Winston Thomas, ceo, Pembrey Airport, UK, Eugene Barry, senior vp commercial, Dubai Airports, and Ali Al Naqbi, founding chairman, Middle East Business Aviation Association (MEBAA).

Daniel Moylan, Aviation Advisor to the Mayor of London, who will be giving a keynote presentation entitled - London's future as a world city: why the UK needs a new hub airport? - said, "The Forum is a chance for the leaders of this worldwide industry to come together and discuss these important issues. Airport development is of great importance to economies all over the world, but it won't happen unless these kind of discussions take place and, in turn, inform and enable the decisions that are taken at a political level."

The forum's first assembly will discuss issues that are vital for the global airport sector and especially the Middle East, where major development plans are under way.

Middle East airlines are expected to record the highest growth in passenger traffic at 5.8% per annum through to the year 2025 and airports are expected to handle 400 million passengers a year by 2020. At the same time, almost all the GCC airports are in a massive expansion mode to cope with the anticipated demand.

In their ambitious drive, airport managements are looking at the opportunities that arise from the regional sector's boom in every aspect of airport infrastructure, operations and management. This is where GALF comes in to fill in a great gap for the professionals of one of the most promising economic sectors by providing a much needed networking platform for global cooperation.

Daniyal Qureshi, event director, The Airport Show, said, "The airports sector is a strategic economic sector and this event, which combines an innovative exhibition and an international forum in one venue, offers a unique opportunity for decision makers to review best practices, upgrade their performance, and increase their effectiveness in making air-travel a remarkable experience for passengers."

The forum programme will offer the participants a macro overview of the Middle East aviation/airports industry, strategic insights into sustainable regional growth, policy development, impact of climate change on the airport, global perspective of airport performance indicators and challenges and opportunities for sustainable growth, revenue management and technology advancements.

In the session on Airports as an Engine for National Economic Growth, Dr. Waleed Youssef, chief strategy officer, TAV Airports, Turkey, will be joined by other stalwarts in the debate. He will also join Paul Griffiths, chief executive officer, Dubai Airports, Adel Ali, chief executive officer, Air Arabia, and others in another session which will discuss the factors behind 'Becoming the Airport of Choice for Airlines and Passengers'.

The panelists for the session on Airport Expansion and Upgrades to Serve a Growing Market include Rajeev Jain, president, Mumbai International Airport, Alan Lamond, vice chairman, British Aviation Group (BAG), Khalifa al Zaffin, executive chairman, Dubai Aviation City Corporation, and Winston Thomas, ceo, Pembrey Airport, UK.

Samuel Lin, chief executive officer, Taoyuan Airport Taiwan, and Mohamed Al Binfalah, chief executive officer, Bahrain Airport, will review the industry best practices to benchmark strategy, policy and approach to identify the critical factors of airport success, in another session on Airport Planning, Design and Development.

In the session on Investing in Capacity Building to Develop Airport Leaders, Tod A. Laursen, president of Khalifa University of Science, Technology and Research (KUSTAR), will come up with ideas about how to increase the ability of airport management to grow and develop at the same speed as the infrastructure through effective human capital strategy, leadership development programmes and succession planning.

Also to be debated are the retail, branding and non-aeronautical revenue concepts in use in international airports and how they perform in terms of passenger satisfaction and revenue performance.

The speakers will discuss how challenges may be overcome through effective planning to enable airport leadership to better manage change, take advantage of new opportunities and avoid identified pitfalls. This discussion will include consideration of airspace issues, operations optimisation, policy and initiatives in place and capacity management.

Also on the agenda are the SMART Terminals of the Future with Francesco Violante, chief executive officer, SITA, Hussein Dabbas, regional vice president Middle East and North Africa, IATA, and Thani Al Zaffin, director general, Emaratech, as the panelists.
 
The session on 'Understanding your Customers to Improve Engagement and Enhance Experience' will see Martin Craigs, chief executive officer, Pacific Asia Travel Association, and Hussein Dabbas, regional vice president Middle East and North Africa, IATA, offering insight into what airport customers want, need and expect and how airports have successfully engaged customers with their terminal experience.

The Global Airport Leaders' Forum (GALF) will be held at the Dubai International Convention and Exhibition Centre (DICEC), collocated with Airport Show to be held from May 6 to 8.

It has been designed as a much-needed knowledge-sharing platform for C-Level leaders, managing directors, presidents, vice presidents, executive directors, and heads of departments (Finance, Operations, Planning and Strategy) from airports, airlines, civil aviation authorities and regulators among others.

A Steering Committee has been formed to guide and oversee the inaugural edition of the forum, chaired by H.H. Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, with heads of Dubai Aviation City Corporation, Dubai Civil Aviation Authority, Dubai Airports and Emirates Airline, dnata, Dubai World Trade Centre and Reed Exhibitions, as its members. One of the highlights of the forum will be the creation of a CEO Vision for Airport 2050 study based on an interactive voting programme.