Regional Gateway editor Chloë Greenbank summarises the latest happenings across airports serving business, regional and low-fare routes.
Last week saw the Regional Gateway team head off to different continents to report back from two major, albeit very different, events for regional and business airports. The National Business Aviation Association’s (NBAA’s) Business Aviation Convention and Exhibition (BACE) took place in Las Vegas, US, while AviaDev’s second European aviation development and networking event was held in Valencia, Spain.
As reported in last week’s editor’s comment, NBAA’s event shone the spotlight on how business aviation is leading the way to a sustainable future. Find out more in the upcoming issue of Regional Gateway magazine. Urban Air Mobility (UAM) was the other major topic of discussion during the show. There was also plenty of excitement around the glitzy new business jets being unveiled, the announcement of multi-million dollar deals and FBO developments around the globe.
While business was the order of the day for those attending NBAA’s BACE, over in sunny Valencia, AviaDev provided the perfect platform for Europe’s regional airports and airlines to network and share the opportunities and challenges they are facing.
Speakers at the event reflected on how despite the industry seeing huge transition and innovation, regional airports in Europe are growing overall. What’s more, while economic challenges, sustainability concerns and turbulent times with aircraft types all present their fair share of challenges, Juraj Toth, AviaDev Europe’s managing director, underlined that the outlook is positive, as he noted: “We are all here because we are in love with this industry that keeps changing.”
With Vegas and Valencia all wrapped up for 2019, next week I’m heading to Lisbon for SITA’s EURO IT forum. The focus there will be on how technology-enabled collaboration and operational intelligence play a critical role in the creation of a frictionless passenger journey.
It’s been a busy couple of weeks, but three is certainly the magic number, as the trip to Lisbon marks Regional Gateway’s last overseas adventure before the end of what is proving to be a very busy year.
The editor’s comment is published weekly as an accompaniment to the Regional Gateway e-newsletter. If you do not currently receive our email updates, you can subscribe here.
