Plan Your CONNECT
Conference sponsored by

Event Programme
Route development and industry briefings provide delegates with crucial and first-class insight, industry analysis and updates.
Currently Showing:
Tuesday 21st February
Event opens 10:00am, closes 06:00pm
Book your excursion in your Personal Delegate Account!
Book your excursion in your Personal Delegate Account!
Wednesday 22nd February
Event opens 08:30am, closes 11:00pm
Opening remarks and welcome from the Host of CONNECT 2023
Patrick Edmond, Managing Director, Altair Advisory |
Karin Butot, Chief Executive Officer, The Airport Agency (CONNECT Organiser) |
Take a well-deserved break! You will find hot drinks and snacks in the exhibition area.
What’s ahead for the airline industry in 2023?
John Strickland will present his conclusions and assessment on 2022. What were the key elements of the year and who were the winners and losers?
He will then present the trends and issues likely to shape industry outlook for 2023 including the shape of the market and wider economic impacts .
John Strickland, Director, JLS Consulting |
Powering the development of the African market
The Single African Air Transport Market (SAATM) is an initiative created to facilitate intra-African aviation development. Opensky agreements have also had a huge impact on connectivity and demand on an international level. However, multiple challenges still rise against airlines that wish to enter this soaring market: from prices to infrastructure, our panelists will address the threats and opportunities lying ahead.
Moderator | |
Jean-François Guitard, Director Business Development and Public Affairs, NAMA - Nice Airport Management | |
Panel | |
Namory Camara, Managing Director, Ahmed Sekou Toure International Airport (SOGEAC) | |
Askin Demir, Chief Executive Officer, Dakar Blaise Diagne International Airport | |
Abderahmane Berthe, Secretary General, African Airlines Association | |
Manuel Jonay Lobo Torres, Chief of Network, Binter |
Relax and enjoy a tasty lunch in the restaurant!

Building a successful partnership: a discussion between Ryanair and the Moroccan National Tourism Office
Hatim El Gharbi, Chief Commercial Officer, Moroccan National Tourist Office |
Ray Kelliher, Director of Route Development Network, Ryanair |

EU Aviation Strategy for Europe: what is the current status?
In December 2015, the European Commission adopted a very ambitious Aviation Strategy for Europe, a milestone initiative to boost Europe's economy, strengthen its industrial base and reinforce its global leadership position. Some measures of this plan were launched prior the pandemic but most legislative projects have been impacted by the crisis and European priorities have now shifted to climate change and sustainability. Annabelle Lepièce will present the current state of the various concrete projects of the European Commission to implement its Strategy.
Annabelle Lepièce, Partner, CMS Belgium |

Location, Location, Location!
An airport's catchment area is the area surrounding the airport from which it attracts its passengers. With the development of low-cost carriers, serving secondary airports, passengers have a wider choice of destination airports than ever before. The objective of our session will be:
- Understand the driving factors behind passenger airport choices,
- Why your airport catchment area differs considerably by destination,
- How to practically estimate it, and
- Let's practice it on your own specific case!
Christophe Ritter, Director, Milanamos |
Take a well-deserved break! You will find hot drinks and snacks in the exhibition area.
Tourism: future travel trends and challenges
The tourism industry has come a long way in the past 12 months. Even if the future looks bright, challenges remain. What will be the biggest headwinds of 2023? How will the industry's sustainability efforts impact future travel trends? And finally, how can we measure and predict travel trends? These are the pivotal questions our panelists will try to answer.
Moderator | |
Mike Reynolds, Head of Partnerships, Skyscanner | |
Panel | |
Hector Ureta, Professor, ITAEREA Aeronautical Business School | |
Fernando Abreu, Director Airline Relations, Dominican Republic Ministry of Tourism | |
Henri-Charles Ozarovsky, Head of Strategy Network & Alliances, TAP Air Portugal | |
Gretar Gardarsson, Director Airline Relations & Route Development, Keflavik-Reykjavik Airport |
Our Hosts welcome you to the Moulay Hafid Palace for the Welcome Reception.
Thursday 23rd February
Event opens 08:30am, closes 11:00pm

Head to head interview with easyjet
John Strickland, Director, JLS Consulting |
Manuel Vale, Head of Network and Airports EU, easyJet |
You say scope 1, I say scope 3: how can airlines and airports collaborate more effectively to drive overall emission reduction?
Airports and airlines don't always see eye to eye. But in the area of decarbonization their objectives are completely aligned – to reach Net Zero aviation emissions by 2050 or sooner. As emissions from aircraft in flight are by far the largest GHG contributor from aviation, this panel explores the overlap between airlines, airports and ground handlers, how each is approaching target setting, decarbonization strategies, and importantly, how these groups can best work together to accelerate positive change.
Moderator | |
Kata Cserep, Managing Director - Aviation, Travel and Tourism, ICF | |
Panel | |
Dean Boljuncic, Head of Avation development & Partnerships, Eindhoven Airport | |
Daen Van de Munckhof, Route Analyst, Widerøe | |
Matthew Whitton, Vice President Supply Aviation and Land, World Fuel Services | |
Speaker to be announced |
Take a well-deserved break! You will find hot drinks and snacks in the exhibition area.

Air Transport Management / Ministry of Transport and Logistics (Morocco)
Speaker to be announced |
New aviation fuels and the journey to Net Zero Carbon
Aviation has embarked on a journey to reach Net Zero Carbon by 2050. This will imply dramatic technological changes like our industry has never seen. In particular, new aviation fuels will be required to achieve carbon neutrality. Between SAF, Electricity and Hydrogen, what makes sense for airframers? For airports? What realistic timeframes? At what costs? Can we produce more and earlier? What airlines and airports need to do today to prepare themselves for this revolution?
These are all the questions that our panel composed of airlines, airports and fuel producers, will debate and try to answer.
Moderator | |
Patrick Baudis, Vice President, Mitsubishi Aero Advisory | |
Panel | |
Magdalena Golebiewska, Sustainability Manager, easyJet | |
Claudio Camelier, Head of Marketing - Product Strategy and Market Analysis, Heart Aerospace | |
Lena Wennberg, Head of Sustainable Development, Swedavia Airports | |
Ricardo Diniz, Business Development Lead, Air BP | |
Matthew Whitton, Vice President Supply Aviation and Land, World Fuel Services |
Relax and enjoy a tasty lunch in the restaurant!

Head to head interview with FlyAtlantic
Moderator | |
Patrick Edmond, Managing Director, Altair Advisory | |
Andrew Pyne, Chief Executive Officer, Fly Atlantic |

Post-pandemic State aid: back to the future?
In the context of the COVID-19 crisis, the European Commission reacted swiftly and generously to allow Member States to support their air transport sector. This specific legal framework has come to an end and general State aid rules are now back on. What to expect in the coming years in the light of the costly challenges this sector is facing?
Annabelle Lepièce will present the lessons to draw from the crisis, the various public aids currently available and the Commission's priorities to that respect.
Annabelle Lepièce, Partner, CMS Belgium |
Take a well-deserved break! You will find hot drinks and snacks in the exhibition area.

Head to head interview with Wizzair
John Strickland, Director, JLS Consulting |
Evelin Jeckel, Chief Network Officer, Wizz Air |
Revolutionising interlining
Old-fashioned interlining dates from 70 years ago. But the world - and the airline industry - has changed. The arrival of LCCs has shaken up the industry, and environmental concerns mean that multimodal interlining (plane<-->train or plane<-->bus etc) is more relevant than ever. But old-style systems don't support this. What does the new interlining world look like? What opportunities does it offer for airlines, airports, and passengers?
Moderator | |
Patrick Edmond, Managing Director, Altair Advisory | |
Panel | |
David Gunnarsson, Chief Executive Officer, Dohop | |
Majid Khan, Vice President Aviation Development, IGA Istanbul Airport | |
Johannes Mohrmann, Senior Manager Key Account and Business Development, Berlin Brandenburg Airport |
Our Hosts welcome you for an incredible Gala Dinner.
Friday 24th February
Event opens 08:30am, closes 07:00pm
The future of business travel
As business travel has seen a slower rebound, the discussion would go into the direction of how the change has impacted regional airlines and regional airports and their thoughts on future adaptation to the habitual change in the business segment.
Moderator | |
Sanja Ples, Chief Operating Officer, ch-aviation | |
Panel | |
Tom Screen, Aviation Director, Birmingham Airport | |
Christian Kaeser, Vice President Aviation Sales & Traffic Development, Albrecht Dürer Airport Nuremberg | |
Mantas Vrubliauskas, Network Development Manager, airBaltic | |
Frederic Revol, Chief Commercial Officer, La Compagnie, Head of Network and Commercial Partnerships, Air Malta | |
Ivan Orec, Senior Manager Airport Relations & Route Development, Eurowings |
Take a well-deserved break! You will find hot drinks and snacks in the exhibition area.

Airline Briefing: Air Serbia
Bojan Arandjelovic, Head of Network Planning & Scheduling, Air Serbia |
Relax and enjoy a tasty lunch in the restaurant!
Book your excursion in your Personal Delegate Account!

By invitation only.
The members of the commission gathering all the managers and executives of the Route Development of French and French-speaking airports are invited to join the commission's meeting.
Take a well-deserved break! You will find hot drinks and snacks in the exhibition area.
Book your excursion in your Personal Delegate Account!
Saturday 25th February
Event opens 09:00am, closes 05:00pm
Book your excursion in your Personal Delegate Account!
Jump to:
“Congratulations to CONNECT for the wonderfully organised event! We appreciated the warm welcome during Finnish winter and look forward to joining CONNECT next year in Morocco!”
“I managed to have over 20 scheduled meetings with current and potential airline partners”
“Once again there has been a great hospitality and cordial atmosphere, with a meticulous attention to detail in arranging every possible thing for the participants. Everyone who matters in the European market was here.”
“A very nice event in Tampere, extremely well-co-ordinated and very productive I have to say. Of course, we are planning to attend next event in Tangier.”
“CONNECT offers the opportunity to network and catch-up with airports from Europe and beyond, in a very relaxed setting. In 2020, the event helped us launch 5 new routes to Italy and France. In 2022 we will be in Tampere to join new conversations and new projects for our network.”
“The event was as always perfectly organized. CONNECT has managed to grow significantly over the last years without losing its friendliness and professionalism.”
“Professional and well-organized event. Fantastic atmosphere during official part and social part also.”
“We had more than 35 formal meetings held with Airports, Airlines and have turned Business Cases discussed at last year’s CONNECT into reality, launching routes such as BUD, ROM and ZIA.”
“I had more meetings than expected. Very professional and highly effective in a cordial and relaxed environment. A great event!”
“Our onsite meetings were trebled with help from the CONNECT team, and we are more than satisfied with these discussions, that are the beginning of long conversations opened up for the future.”
“One of the best airline industry events, combining efficiency and organization with French style and flair!”
“Perfect organization, both for meetings and for leisure time. CONNECT does compare better than other events in the aviation industry, with longer meeting slots, less stressed timing, which helps people talking and doing business.”
“CONNECT enabled us to meet with a good number of our airline partners. We were also able to take the temperature of the industry in terms of how other airports and industry leaders see things.”
“Fantastic event, as ever! CONNECT helps our industry to build networks and air routes which are more important than ever to help our mixed-up world. Bravo to the whole team and see you next year!”
“CONNECT provides enough time for airlines and airports to meet and discuss, as well as build new and nurture existing relationships in the networking sessions.”
“Great event in Cagliari – seriously impressed with event logistics – we will certainly return to Cagliari!”
“There is great attention to detail and the CONNECT team are like an army of ants with their eyes on everything!”
“Perfect hospitality. The number of confirmed meetings exceeded our expectations.”
“The venue was great, the meetings were long enough, the location and events were superb, the general ambiance was really pleasurable.”
“Second time at CONNECT and it just gets better, thank you for a great conference!”
“During the event we had a lot of scheduled and unscheduled meetings, giving us many opportunities to meet with airport delegates. Thank you for the help and support!”
“The skydive was an amazing experience. Beautiful to see the island from above! The conference was very professional but had a relaxed vibe, which I believe was due to the fact that it was held in Sardinia.”
“CONNECT is a well organised event with a friendly yet professional atmosphere. It is an important part of Newcastle International Airport’s calendar of engagement with current and prospective airline partners.”
“What a great event and host city. The easyJet team and I really enjoyed our time and loved the Finnish hospitality. Thank you!”
“Thank you so much for the excellent organisation, I only could spend 24h at CONNECT but it was 200% worth it!”
“This was the first time I came to CONNECT in a few years and was impressed to see how much it has developed whilst retaining its small event feel with a quality meeting structure and networking.”
“We performed 60 meetings in three days with the airports we were looking for, it would have took us months to achieve that without CONNECT. We got an excellent return on investment and we ended up having concrete request for commercial proposals. Real value for money!”
“The event exceeded our expectations. It was very well-organised and we had lots of opportunities to meet and discuss with airlines and airports.”
“Perfect, relaxed, and still profitable, business wise…you have to come!!”
“A fantastically organised event down to the tiniest details. It was my first time at CONNECT and I was thoroughly impressed. I could not have imagined a better way to resume networking in person!”