ERA Regional Airline Conference 2025

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Session moderator: Patrick Edmond, Chief Marketing Officer, Future Energy Global
Speakers include:

• Daniel Attard, Member of the European Parliament
• Martin Gauss, CEO and Chairman of Executive Board, airBaltic
• Abdul Wahab Teffaha, Secretary General, Arab Air Carriers’ Organisation

# restricted attendance to ERA airline CEOs, airport CEOs and ERA Board members.

Welcome by Jesper Rungholm, President, ERA
Introduction by Montserrat Barriga, Director General, ERA

The essential role of our sector and its societal value, why #ThinkRegional?
Regional aviation provides a broad range of economic and societal benefits that go beyond mere transport. It is essential for regional economic development, improving access to vital services, enhancing social mobility and supporting environmental sustainability. By connecting all communities to larger economic hubs, regional aviation fosters inclusivity and integration, ensuring that people and regions remain connected in an increasingly globalised world. As the aviation industry continues to evolve, the societal value of regional aviation will only grow in importance, making it a cornerstone of modern societies. But at the same time, recent and upcoming regulations (Ff55, potential EU261, potential airport legislation) will have a significant impact on regional airlines’ finances and processes, and possibly further erode margins – should there be concerns?

This session will be moderated by Marta Sabin Miralles De Imperial, Market Strategy Director, ATR and will include contributions from:
• Daniel Attard, Member of the European Parliament
• Silje Brandvoll, Vice President Communications and PR, Widerøe
• Martin Gauss, CEO and Chairman of Executive Board, airBaltic
• Lotta Sandsgaard, CEO, Aarhus Airport
• Jacob Nitter Sørensen, CEO, Air Greenland

Digitalisation and AI – the future of aviation 
Digitalisation and AI are fundamentally reshaping the aviation industry, improving operational efficiency, safety, sustainability and the customer experience. By harnessing these technologies, aviation can streamline operations, reduce costs, enhance service quality and make travel more sustainable. The ongoing development of AI applications, from predictive maintenance to autonomous flight, is likely to continue transforming aviation for years to come. As the technology matures, its integration will likely become deeper, offering further opportunities for growth, efficiency and innovation across the entire aviation ecosystem.
This session will be moderated by Nick Rhodes, Head of Operations, Safety and Infrastructure, ERA and will include contributions from:
• Alain Corbel, Deputy Safety and Risk Management Director, HOP!
• Jean Felon, Head of Operations Control Centre, Luxair
• Martin Lidgard, CEO and Founder, Web Manuals
• Vlad Marin, Marketing & Sales Engineering Manager, Airbus
• Chris Williams, Partner, Clyde & Co

Navigating the present and future of regional aircraft: OEM insights on sustainability, challenges, and market evolution.
The regional aircraft market is poised for a dynamic evolution over the next few decades, as our industry grapples with both short-term challenges and long-term sustainability goals. The shift toward a more sustainable aviation future will be driven by technological innovation, the readiness for aircraft to fly with 100 per cent sustainable aviation fuels, regulatory pressures and market demand, but it will face significant hurdles along the way. Will the short-term challenges such as aircraft availability constrained by supply chain issues, production delays and a backlog of orders, be the bottle neck for our industry’s long-term success?
This session will be moderated by Alex Vining, Vice President, Marketing, Falko Regional Aircraft and will include contributions from:
• Jacob Fruhling, Senior Director, Customer Programs, Regional Aviation, Pratt & Whitney Canada
• Marie-Louise Philippe, SVP Sales & Marketing | Head of Region for Europe & CIS, Embraer
• Sebastian Placzek, Project Officer – Civil Aeronautics, European Commission (DG DEFIS)
• Daniel Rosen Jacobson, Co-CEO, Elysian Aircraft

The sky is no limit for this year’s inspirational speaker, Nicola Winter – pilot, reserve astronaut and aerospace engineer. Winter’s journey began in the German Armed Forces in 2004, where she was a Tornado pilot and flight instructor, before retraining to become one of only three women in the German Air Force to fly the Eurofighter. By the time she left the German Armed Forces as a Major she had trained young pilots in the USA for several years.

After her time in the German Armed Forces, Winter advised large companies for McKinsey & Co. and experienced several emergencies as a paramedic. Via the aviation industry, she then moved into aerospace project management.

In 2017, Winter was a finalist in the ‘The Astronaut’ initiative, beating more than 22,500 other applicants in the ESA selection process and is now part of the astronaut reserve, where she could become the first German woman in space. Today, Winter is a renowned speaker, a consultant for crisis teams and companies, active in space research and a lecturer in emergency and crisis management. She is pursuing a PhD in space science and training to become a rescue helicopter pilot. Her credo is “with courage, empathy, discipline, passion and a bit of luck we can make it anywhere – even to the moon.”