ITB Aviation Day focuses on the collapse of capacity, climate protection, and the crisis on capital markets

BERLIN – The global aviation industry will face major challenges in 2009, with sharply fluctuating oil prices and jet fuel costs, the crises affecting capital markets, overcapacities, and climate pr

BERLIN – The global aviation industry will face major challenges in 2009, with sharply fluctuating oil prices and jet fuel costs, the crises affecting capital markets, overcapacities, and climate protection constraints. During the Aviation Day, March 13, 2009, at the ITB Berlin Convention, leading representatives of airlines and aircraft manufacturers will be discussing current issues concerning the international aviation industry.

Stefan Lauer, a member of the board of the Lufthansa Group, will start the event by outlining the position of Lufthansa in the aviation of the future. He will provide answers to questions about the basis for the group’s success, as well as providing insights into strategic plans for strengthening its position in international aviation.

The “Fuel and Emission Panel” will be one of the hotspots of the ITB Aviation Day, with discussions between experts on aspects such as fuel hedging, bio-fuel, new propulsion systems, and climate protection. The keynote speech by Ed Sims, group general manager of Air New Zealand, will be followed by a panel discussion chaired by Matthias Eberle, US correspondent for the German business paper Handelsblatt. Among those joining Ed Sims on the panel will be Helmut Fredrich, vice president, Corporate Fuel Management for Deutsche Lufthansa AG, and Kenneth J. McGill, EVP and executive managing director of the American business research institute, Global Insight.

There will be three further panel discussions during the afternoon. Prominent participants will address the topic “Is the industry doomed?” Demand is decreasing because of costs and the weak economy, but on the other hand, the order books of the aircraft-makers Airbus and Boeing are full. The members of the panel will investigate whether the aircraft that have been ordered will really be delivered and, if so, how they will be deployed and financed.

A panel of analysts will show whether the crisis affecting capital markets will encourage consolidation in the airline industry. The representatives of European banks and finance institutes will investigate whether, in the light of the current market situation, the airlines and airports have sufficient capital at their disposal for essential investments, and what direction will crisis-stricken capital markets push the development of the industry?

The final event of the ITB Aviation Day will look at the question of whether low-cost, long-haul services can be successful. The aviation expert Jens Flottau will address some critical questions to prominent proponents of low-cost travel.

The ITB Berlin Convention

ITB Berlin 2009 will be taking place from Wednesday, March 11 to Sunday, 15 March and will be open to trade visitors from Wednesday to Friday. Parallel with the trade fair, the ITB Berlin Convention will be taking place from Wednesday, March 11 to Saturday, 14 March 2009. For full program details, click on www.itb-convention.com .

Fachhochschule Worms and the US-based market research company PhoCusWright, Inc. are partners of the ITB Berlin Convention. Turkey is co-hosting this year’s ITB Berlin Convention. Other sponsors of the ITB Berlin Convention include Top Alliance, responsible for VIP service; hospitalityInside.com, as media partner of the ITB Hospitality Day; and Flug Revue as media partner of the ITB Aviation Day. The Planeterra Foundation is premium sponsor of the ITB Corporate Social Responsibility Day, and Gebeco is the premium sponsor of the ITB Tourism and Culture Day. TÜV International is the basic sponsor of the session “Practical Aspects of CSR.” The following are partners collaborating with the ITB Business Travel Days: Air Berlin PLC & Co. Luftverkehrs KG, Verband Deutsches Reisemanagement e.V. (VDR), Vereinigung Deutscher Veranstaltungsorganisatoren e.V., HSMA Deutschland e.V., Deutsche Bahn AG, geschaeftsreise1.de, hotel.de, Kerstin Schaefer e.K. – Mobility Services and Intergerma. Air Berlin is the premium sponsor of the ITB Business Travel Days 2009.

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Linda Hohnholz

Editor in chief for eTurboNews based in the eTN HQ.

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