GHI Digital Reconnect Asia programme launched

Conference sessions will share case study examples of how aviation operators in the region are meeting the challenges of Covid disruption through digitisation, stakeholder collaboration, innovation and upskilling employees.

Programme highlights include:

• Market forecast: Anticipating Asia’s recovery path
  Asia was the first global aviation market to feel the cruel blow of the COVID pandemic and the virus shows little sign of abating. More than a year on, key countries in the region are experiencing a new wave of infections and lockdowns. So, when will the storm break? Can operators expect to see a restoration of international travel later this year? And what are the opportunities closer to home within domestic markets that can help sustain us? This session will assess the picture.
• The Big Debate: A new strategy for a new age. How will Asian aviation adapt to the post-COVID era?
  Congested skies, capacity constraints and intensive OTP pressures on the ground were – until recently – the dominant topics for the Asian aviation community. Today’s landscape is utterly unrecognisable from that of a year or two ago. International pax volumes stand at less than 10%, with no immediate reprieve in sight; and the passenger journey has become infinitely more complex. But opportunity knocks for those with an agile and entrepreneurial outlook. This session will hear from senior leaders at airlines, handlers, suppliers and airports, on the smart adaptions operators should be making now to secure a successful future.
• Legal: Legal and operational risks arising from the resumption of flights
  Does the unplanned grounding of fleets and mass furloughing of ground handling employees put us on a hazardous path for the restart? This session will investigate how prolonged storage of aircraft in areas exposed to wind, rain, sandstorms and heat could heighten the threat of ground damage during turnaround activities. Will mechanical wear and tear be compounded by errors from inexperienced ground crews under pressure to restore operations at speed? What are the legal issues this creates? Peter Coles, Head of Aviation, Asia Pacific Partner, Clyde & Co
• Artificial Intelligence: AI and technology to scale up quickly after the pandemic
  Aviation is slowly moving out of the crisis. However, it cannot go back to pre-COVID processes. A lot of pre-COVID knowledge and established processes are no longer applicable. Instead, the industry needs to redesign itself in many aspects for a sustainable and efficient future. Airlines need intelligent operations, innovation and transformation to scale up quickly back to their previous size and stay competitive. This session, sponsored by INFORM, will explore the use of AI and data to drive the recovery. Panellists include Ekkehart Vetter, CTO INFORM

• Cargo: Getting yourself in trim for the great air cargo opportunity
  Air cargo has seized the limelight during the crisis, as operators look to capture a share of an essential revenue stream. Demand in Asia is up more than 7% over the past two years, while capacity has plummeted 30%. This capacity crisis has triggered an innovative array of makeshift conversions, with boxes on aircraft seats or seats removed completely to make space for extra freight. This session, sponsored by JBT, will explore the cargo phenomenon. Panellists include Thomas Liput, Managing Director Asia Pacific Ground Support, JBT AeroTech

GHI’s Digital Reconnect Asia is an innovative two day virtual event and offers a premium One-to-One virtual meetings facility to help you renew business relationships alongside all of the content listed above.

To mark the programme launch GHI is extending our 20% off early bird pass rate offer of US$475+ VAT per person until Friday May 14. Click here to secure your special rate.