IAR Spotlight on International Airport Summit 2024 Speakers

With the International Airport Summit 2024 set to take place on 13-14 November in Amsterdam, we take a look at some of the speakers in the spotlight for this exciting event.

Find out below what they will be exploring in their various sessions.

Shiv Kumar, Chief of Marketing and Passenger Experience, Manohar International Airport, Goa 

Speaking on ‘FIRESIDE CHAT: From booking to boarding – creating seamless CX’ (day 1), and

‘Next gen airports: Building airports of the future’ (day 2).

In ‘Next gen airports: Building airports of the future’, I will be focusing on the actions an airport must take to be at the forefront of this transformation.

1. Infrastructure upgrades: Invest in modernising runways, taxiways, and aprons to accommodate larger, heavier, or different aircraft configurations.
2. Vertiport integration: Plan and develop vertiports for advanced air mobility (AAM) vehicles, ensuring seamless integration with existing airport operations.
3. Charging infrastructure: Install charging stations for electric and hybrid aircraft to support sustainable aviation.
4. Digital transformation: Embrace digital technologies like AI, IoT, and data analytics to optimise operations, improve passenger experience, and enhance efficiency.
5. Staff training: Invest in comprehensive training programs for airport personnel to handle new aircraft types, technologies, and operational procedures.

From booking to boarding – creating seamless CX

“Who owns the passenger in today’s ecosystem of Airlines Airports and third party solution providers? This is the question which needs to be answered to understand the silos in today’s airport experience.

“Traditional airport operations as it operates today create a fragmented experience for passengers.

“I will be focusing on how we can provide a unifying experience as an ecosystem for the passengers which encourages collaboration, and foster innovation to create a seamless journey.

“While automation and technology will play a major role, the human touch will remain crucial. Imagine a well-trained and empowered workforce that personalises the passenger experience, manages unforeseen circumstances, and provides a sense of security and hospitality.”

Fredrik Jaresved, Director of Strategy and Innovation, Swedavia

Speaking on ‘Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF): Opportunities and implications’ – Day 1

Swedavia has set aside 40 million SEK for its SAF incentive programme and they are leading the way in SAF adoption among airports in the world. They have key valuable insights to add as an airport already doing this, plus how to encourage adoption, and the success they have seen from their incentive programmes.  

Diogenis Papiomytis, General Manager & Business Plan, Matarat Holding

Speaking on ‘FIRESIDE CHAT – Customer first: Business intelligence driving hyper-personalisation’ – Day 2

• Passengers seek a one-stop-solution that is personalised, covers the entire journey, offers a true voice of customer and access to a multitude of services
• Matarat Holding is working on a unified platform that covers the end-to-end journey with an integrated set of services that could be extended outside the airport itself, for anyone travelling to/from the Kingdom
• At the core of this platform is business intelligence, which is the enabler for true personalisation

Ekelem Airhihen, Deputy General Planning Manager, Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN)

Speaking on ‘Collaborative partnerships: Building essential partnerships to grow the industry’ – Day 2

“I will be speaking on the African perspective to collaboration and partnership in airports, which have been a useful tool for survival in difficult times like the one airports face due to the cost of living crisis. Businesses are struggling with head winds and across the aviation industry value chain, the Spirit of Ubuntu has been a potent instrument of collaboration. While interest rates are double digit, by co-operative effort, capital is pooled together by employees to offer single digit interest rates to individuals as well as businesses with cash flow challenges. Airport Managers in the same Spirit of Ubuntu go the extra mile to work with the concessionaires at the airport to ensure they remain in business. This co-operative approach with an African flavour has been a potent tool for survival and growth. In Africa we value relationships while we ensure service level agreements (SLA) are respected and adhered to.”

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