Programme of Events

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# by invitation only
Moderator: Patrick Edmond, Managing Director, Altair Advisory
Including presentations from:
• Philippe Merlo, Director of European Green Sky Directorate, EUROCONTROL
• Haldane Dodd, Executive Director, ATAG
• Christopher Holgate-Romanov, Head of Department - Strategy & Programmes, EASA

Welcome address by Marco Pernetta, Managing Director, Innsbruck Airport.

Senior leadership panel – the power of a collaborative approach:
With high expectations for this summer’s travel season and forward booking trends in Europe increasing by almost 40 per cent compared to 2022,1 it seems that consumers’ appetite for air travel has not diminished. With global passenger traffic demand expected to double by 2037,2 the challenge for our industry to meet this, whilst decarbonising, remains the biggest hurdle. Without doubt, the power of a collaborative approach will yield strong benefits for our industry if we are to succeed. How can the entire aviation ecosystem work in partnership with key industry stakeholders to deliver an efficient and sustainable air transportation system and meet consumer demands? This session will be moderated by Jesper Rungholm, CEO, DAT Group and will include contributions from:
• Mark Anzur, CEO, Air Montenegro
• Mary Considine, CEO, Shannon Airport
• Maarten Koopmans, Managing Director, KLM Cityhopper
• Arjan Meijer, President and CEO, Embraer Commercial Aviation
1 Get Ready: Booking Data Points to Strong Peak Season Travel 
2 World Airport Traffic Forecasts 2019–2040

Senior leadership panel – the challenges ahead beyond sustainability
With discussions in our post-recovery world mainly focussed on sustainability and our mission to decarbonise, what other challenges have been shadowing our industry and how serious are they? The pressing issue of a global skills shortage, for both crew and engineering, is a critical concern, together with matters closer to home in Europe such as boosting regional connectivity, competition and consolidation. What are the challenges for our industry beyond the sphere of sustainability and how can we ensure air transport’s growth and prosperity? This session will be moderated by Wouter van Wersch, Executive Vice President, President of Region & Sales – Europe, Airbus and include contributions from:
• Ahmed Aly, CEO, TUS Airways
• Teresa Gonçalves, CEO, Azores Airlines
• Tanja Grobotek, Director European Affairs, CANSO Europe
• Jiri Marek, CEO, Air Serbia

(dress code: cocktail dress, black tie/tuxedo or dark suit)

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Inspirational speaker.
ERA is proud to announce that this year’s inspirational speaker is John Volanthen, the exploratory diver who played a leading role in the 2018 Thailand cave rescue. 

Volanthen is a world record-holding British cave diver who has been involved in cave exploration and  rescue for more than two decades. He began caving at the age of 14 and has been at the forefront of cave exploration ever since. In 2018, he played a key role in the Tham Luang Thailand cave rescue and was named one of Time magazine’s ‘Heroes of the Year’. The courageous mission was chronicled in the National Geographic documentary The Rescue, as well as the book Thirteen Lessons That Saved Thirteen Lives: The Thai Cave Rescue and the critically-acclaimed Hollywood film Thirteen Lives, in which Volanthen is played by Colin Farrell. 

In addition to Tham Luang, Volanthen has been involved in a number of other search, rescue and recovery incidents around the world and has been awarded the George Medal for bravery. He is one of only two people to have been awarded Bronze, Silver and Gold medals by the Royal Humane society for his efforts.

Volanthen takes his audiences on an unforgettable journey deep into the Tham Luang caves of Thailand as he shares lessons that are key to performing in highpressure situations and reveals how those principles can be applied by any organisation working toward its goals.

Association address – Montserrat Barriga, Director General, ERA

Annual General Meeting (AGM)

# Restricted attendance.