The 16th Asian GHI Conference was held at the Ariyana Convention Centre where 350 delegates were able to network, do business and share knowledge from 18 to 20 March 2025.
Vietnam has a booming aviation market which will experience rapid growth so new airports are being built, including Long Thanh near Ho Chi Minh City, which will provide relief for the congested Tan Son Nhat International Airport, and existing airports are being upgraded.
As one of the fastest growing aviation markets in the world, passenger numbers in Vietnam are expected to grow from 89 million to over 200 million by the 2030s.
Max Gosney, Conference Chairman and Portfolio Director of Ground Handling International said Vietnam and Da Nang were chosen because feedback from regular attendees expressed the desire to come somewhere new and Vietnam is a fast-growing market.
He said: “There will be six new airports and the tripling of capacity, it is phenomenal what is happening here. The airports need equipment, suppliers to service aircraft and people. It is an exciting and vibrant place to be”
The GHI team worked with local players to make sure there was representatives from Vietnamese companies and there was a conference session hosted by IT supplier iPort and VietJet Air to look at upgrading digital infrastructure.
Gosney said: “It was symbolic of the growth VietJet is leading in the market including developing a self-handling operation at Ho Chi Minh City’s airport. It has been great to learn more about these local operators. We would love to come back in the near future and hear from the airport operator and local airlines. There are more Vietnamese operators out there and they know we exist and it would be great to have more case studies and support for when we come back.”
Praising the venue, Gosney said it was a relaxing place to stay and he thanked the staff for their service, which was provided with a smile and no task was too much trouble.
Across the three days of conference sessions, experts discussed industry topics across Vietnam and Asia including staffing for the estimated four billion passengers who will be travelling across the region by 2040, digital transformation and sustainable aviation.
GHI conferences are also about networking with Gosney saying: “Outside of the conference room, there have been the treasures like the dinner with fireworks and seeing people striking up friendships and business relationships.”
To make future Asian GHI conferences even better, Gosney says it is important to get GHI’s name out there so the industry know it is the event to attend.
He said: “The market seems quite fragmented so we are working hard to pull in all of the key stakeholder groups and invite airport authorities along.”
