Event Speakers

Ainesh Advani is a Senior Consultant at Lufthansa Consulting. As a member of our Network and Fleet Management Solution Group, he brings with him over nine years’ aviation industry experience specializing in airline network and fleet strategy. His projects have involved airline network, fleet and schedule planning topics alongside air service development (ASD) for airports across the global market portfolio of Lufthansa Consulting

Mirosław Bartyzel holds an MBA and an MA in Cultural Studies. With over 20 years of experience in destination marketing at the Małopolska Tourism Organization, he has dedicated his career to promoting Małopolska's rich cultural heritage and natural beauty on the international stage

Throughout his career, he has held various roles within the organization, including managerial positions, and has played a key part in establishing Małopolska as a popular tourist destination. His work encompasses organizing press and familiarization trips for industry professionals and media, representing the region at international tourism trade shows, and producing promotional materials to showcase Małopolska's unique attractions. Additionally, he has organized training sessions for tourist information staff and facilitated annual visitor studies for Małopolska, conducted by research teams in Kraków, to gain insights into visitor behaviour and preferences.

These studies—the only such long-term research initiative in Poland focused on a single region—have brought to his attention challenges Małopolska has been facing such as overtourism and sustainable tourism, emphasizing the need to incorporate these considerations into strategic planning and collaborations with local governments, tourism operators, and other stakeholders.

He has also been involved in the development of strategic documents, including destination marketing and communication plans, while securing funding for tourism initiatives from EU, national, and regional sources. Among his most valued projects are media collaborations, including travel documentaries tailored for international audiences in the UK, the Netherlands, and Japan, which highlight the region's distinctive attractions. He has also served on several certification and tourism contest committees.

By combining his academic background with extensive professional experience, Mirosław strives to position Małopolska as a sustainable and attractive destination for international visitors. His dedication to promoting the region's cultural heritage and natural beauty has made a significant contribution to its growing popularity.

Daniel plays a leading role in generating and maintaining relationships among LanzaJet’s key commercial and non-commercial partners. Adopting a holistic value-chain approach, much of his time is dedicated to identifying stakeholder specific value-propositions for SAF, as to deliver the most meaningful, productive and customised engagements.

Passionate about the Circular Economy, Nature Positive Solutions and the delivery of a globally Just Energy Transition, he also spends his time researching and identifying new potential ecosystems for the SAF industry to grow and intersect with. From there, his goal is for LanzaJet to be seen as a best-in-class partner, and an organisation recognised not just for its operational excellence, but for the way it prioritises innovation, education and empathy.

Daniel joined LanzaJet, having previously worked as a SAF Specialist at IATA, where he played a focal role in profiling and mobilising the global SAF sector. He also served as a central point of connection among airlines, SAF producers, and the broader project development ecosystem, including government bodies, financiers and feedstock aggregators.

Namory Camara, current Managing Director of (SOGEAC) Ahmed Sékou Touré International Airport, has nearly 20 years of experience in the public and private sectors in Europe, Africa and the Middle East. He was previously Managing Director of the Agence de Promotion des Investissements Privés (APIP-Guinée).

Namory Camara, who holds a degree in Management Sciences and International Business Law from the University of Dakar, joined DDI's Audit Department in 2001, reporting directly to the Office of the Minister of Economy and Finance.

After this experience in the public service, he focused his career on the aeronautical sector, working for the multinational OAG, a world leader in aviation information and analysis.

For over 16 years, he rose through the ranks to hold the strategic position of International Commercial Director - Europe-Africa-Middle East.

Recognised for his versatility, leadership and knowledge of the business environment, Namory has also written several articles on economic development issues in Guinea and Africa and has presented at numerous conferences around the world.

Mr CAMARA has a vast knowledge of the aviation business environment as a former Director at OAG.

Managing Director in Aeroports de Catalunya (Airport Operator of the Generalitat de Catalunya – Regional Government of Catalonia), since 2008.

Background in regional airport management and development in competitive environments; such as UK, Spain and Sweden.

Founder and doer of high social impact projects. Specialist in the start-up of new organizations and projects in private and public sectors.

MSc in Civil Engineering specialisation in Transports and Energy, holds Degree in Business Administration and Management, and a Degree in Law.

Dr. Lluís Coromina is the Dean of the Faculty of Tourism at the University of Girona, Spain, and a Professor in the Department of Economics. He is an active member of the research groups “Statistics, Econometrics and Health Research Group” (GRECS) and “Organizational Networks, Innovation, and the Development of Tourism Strategies and Products” (ONIT).

Dr. Coromina earned his PhD in 2006 with the highest distinction and European Mention, receiving the Extraordinary Doctorate Award in Economics.

In academic leadership, he has served as Coordinator of the Master’s Program in Tourism Planning and Management (2015–2020) and Vice Dean of Teaching and Quality at the Faculty of Tourism (2020–2024), overseeing key quality assurance processes.

As a researcher, Dr. Coromina has authored over 90 international publications, including more than 50 in JCR and Scopus indexed journals, and collaborates extensively with scholars in fields such as tourism, leisure, hospitality management, sociology, political science, and quantitative methodology. He is also a reviewer for leading international journals in Tourism, emphasizing his multidisciplinary expertise.

Currently, Dr. Coromina supervises five doctoral dissertations, contributing to the development of future scholars in his field.

Askin Demir born in 1968 in Istanbul (Turkey), has been passionate about aeronautics since a very young age. After his baccalaureate at Galatasaray High School, he joined Istanbul Technical University. It was in this country that he began his career as an airport agent, where he held various aeronautical-oriented positions.
His rigor and professionalism have raised him to various professional stations at the international level.
To date, Askin Demir has to its credit the establishment of eight airport operations in five countries across three continents, Africa, Europe, Asia.
In 2018, he took over the General Management of 2AS (AIBD - Assistance - Services), a ground handling company.
Askin Demir has become from 2021 to the present day the Managing Director of LAS (Limak- AIBD - Summa), the managing company of Blaise International Diagne airport in Dakar, a flagship of aeronautics at regional and sub-regional level. An international class airport holding several certificates.
Askin Demir is a fan of aeronautics, his interest in this field is well established.
He is one of the safe bets in this sector, given the positions and missions he has held so brilliantly to date.

Alyssa Drzisga has a strong background in aviation sales, business development, and key account management. She has successfully led airline acquisition projects and implemented strategies to enhance customer relationships. Her experience includes roles in route development and aviation marketing, with a focus on identifying growth opportunities and aligning operations with market demands. As part of the Solution Group Sales & Revenue, Alyssa provides valuable insights to improve commercial performance and optimize revenue streams.

Patrick is the Founder and Managing Director of Altair Advisory, a specialist aviation strategy advisory and consulting firm focusing on airline network strategy and aviation sustainability. Patrick has over 20 years of aviation-industry experience across senior commercial roles in the airline, airport and aircraft leasing sectors, as well as a background in strategy consultancy: Patrick studied Computer Engineering at Trinity College Dublin and Carnegie Mellon University in the USA, and also holds a MSc in Air Transport Management from Cranfield University in the UK and a MBA from Purdue University in the USA.

Ever since writing her first airline magazine article two decades ago, Chloe Greenbank has been immersed in aviation media. She started out working for one of the world’s leading inflight magazine publishing firms, where she helped launch and edit titles for carriers including Brussels Airlines, easyJet, Virgin Express and MyTravel. She was also tasked as a consultant to oversee publications for Korongo Airlines and Air Burkina. An avid traveller, Chloe currently edits Regional Gateway magazine – the B2B title dedicated to championing regional and secondary airports around the globe. She also contributes to LARA magazine and regularly moderates at Aviation Africa.

IrIakli Karkashadze is the Director General of the United Airports of Georgia, appointed in January 2023. He previously served as Deputy Mayor of Kutaisi, Georgia’s second-largest city. Holding advanced degrees in Aviation Management, International Marketing, and Industrial Engineering, he has driven major infrastructure projects, including expanding Kutaisi International Airport. Karkashadze aims to position Georgia as a key player in Europe’s aviation market, with plans for new developments like Tbilisi International Airport by 2029. His leadership reflects a commitment to modernizing Georgia’s aviation industry.

Paweł Kranc, Network and International Affairs Advisor at Gdańsk Airport, brings over a decade of expertise in aviation and destination marketing. Previously, as a manager at Polish Airports, he handled strategy development, project management, and route network. Recognized as an expert in Central and Eastern European aviation trends and development, Paweł has led numerous projects in destination marketing and aviation innovations across Europe.

Louis is co-founder of BookBetter, the most sustainable OTA. Louis’ mission is to make transport more sustainable. He is an entrepreneur and consultant working in clean transportation on SAF, green hydrogen, Power-to-X, night trains, and clean aviation. He is co-launching the least polluting flight (BetterToBaku) and hosting The Traveler, a Spotify podcast on changing our perspectives on slow and less polluting travel.

As head of SAF at Hinicio, Louis supports project developers to de-risk their eSAF and bioSAF projects. He has been advising customers on the business cases of PtX and SAF projects for the past eight years.

He was a co-founder of Moonlight Express (now European Sleeper night trains) and worked as COO at Hinicio. Before that, he worked as a project manager at Roland Berger in strategy, M&A, and restructuring with a strong focus on the airline and transportation industry. He has an academic background in commercial engineering and international working experience living and working in different locations in Europe, Colombia & Mexico, the Middle East, and China.

Annabelle Lepièce is a partner of the Antitrust, Competition and Trade department of CMS Belgium.
Annabelle advises airports, airlines and groundhandlers on all aspects of European law relating to the air transport sector: antitrust, State aid, Foreign Subsidies Regulation, European directives and regulations, enquiries by national authorities, licenses, etc. For 25 years, she has represented French, Belgian, Dutch, Romanian and Spanish airports and public authorities implicated in investigations led by the European Commission on alleged aids to airlines and airports and she has assisted public entities, airports, and airlines in the notification of aid for the infrastructure, start-up aids, restructuring aid, aid for the energy and the protection of the environment, etc. She advises her clients on strategies relating to airport charges and commercial incentives, she proposes legal options to develop new routes, including PSOs, and she drafts commercial contracts, regulations, codes of conduct, etc. Recently, she has advised ACI and the UAF (the French Airports’ association) on the revision of the European Commission’s 2014 Aviation Guidelines and on a proposal for new start-up aid. Following the pandemic, she worked for various actors of the sector on identifying available public funding and setting up aid schemes for the relaunch of routes.

Jonay Lobo studied Business at the University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, in the Canary Islands. Probably he never thought at that time that he was going to be part of this amazing industry . He has been at BINTER for 25 years in various roles within the company. He started in the financial area, in the company's cost department, before making the leap to Head of Programming and Revenue Management. Subsequently, in 2015 he was promoted to Chief of Revenue, Network & Alliances where he continues today. He has been involved in all of Binter's expansion, from its origins as a company that exclusively served the regional market within the Canary Islands to the present day, where their capacity outside the Canary´s has increased in 69% last year and already flies to 6 countries, 45 routes and 32 Destinations. He is passionate about the world of aviation and being able to exchange experiences and impressions with industry peers in forums like CONNECT.

Helgi has been responsible for Partnerships & Corporate Affairs in the CEO Office since 2019.

rnrn

From 1999 to 2007 Helgi held various positions in the Commercial Division. From 2008 to 2017 he was Senior Vice President of Marketing & Sales when he took over Special Projects & Strategic Initiatives in the CEO Office.

rnrn

Helgi is a member of IATA Industry Affairs Advisory Council and Airlines for Europe (A4E) Executive Committee.

rnrn

Helgi graduated from the University of South Carolina with a BS degree in Marketing & Management and holds an MBA from ESCP Business School in Paris.

Declan is a seasoned aviation professional with over a decade of experience in airport route development, market analysis, and commercial strategy. At RDC Aviation, Declan combines hands-on experience with a passion for innovation and people. He is committed to shaping more innovative solutions to serve the aviation industry.

Mayor of Figueres and First Vice President of the Costa Brava Girona Tourism Board, Jordi Masquef is an accomplished professional with extensive experience in law, taxation, and public service. He has held roles at Landwell-PricewaterhouseCoopers, Ernst & Young, and the Catalan Tax Agency, and has also taught Business Administration at ESADE. Jordi holds a Law degree from the University of Girona, a Master’s in Consulting and Tax Management from ESADE, and a Postgraduate degree in Family and Succession Law from UPF.

4o

Carlos Muñoz is the founder and CEO of Volotea Airlines (founded in 2011). The company’s mission is to connect small and mid-sized European cities with direct flights at competitive prices. Carlos began his career at the family business, AMC, which specializes in citrus fruits and juices. In 1998, he moved to San Francisco and worked as a consultant for McKinsey until 2000. In 2002, together with Lázaro Ros, he founded his first airline, Vueling, serving as CEO and board member until 2009, and leading its IPO in 2006. Carlos holds a degree in Business Administration from ICADE (1992) and an MBA from Harvard Business School (1998).

As Chief Strategy Officer for Cirium, Kevin O’Toole has helped lead the transformation of the group into a leading data analytics provider, serving the majority of major clients across air transport and travel.

As a key part of this transformation, he led an acquisition strategy that, over the last decade, has brought together a series of best-in-class data businesses, including FlightStats, Diio, Innovata, Ascend and Snowflake Software under the Cirium umbrella.

Combining these businesses together under the Cirium brand, adopted in 2019, completed the transformation of the heritage Flightglobal publishing business into a leader in aviation analytics.

He had previously served as Editor of Airline Business, where he led a relaunch of the industry’s leading boardroom magazine. Previously he had worked as Business Editor at sister magazine Flight International, a new role which he helped to establish.

Prior to that he headed other business titles within the parent RBI media group and beyond, having worked as a journalist since graduating with a law degree from St Catherine’s College Oxford.

Miguel is a highly experienced senior aviation manager with up-to-date knowledge of the airline market, having worked for over 20 years for one of the leading European regional airlines.

He has recently worked on the development of the Air Nostrum Regional Airline model in South America, especially in Paraguay, Argentina and Bolivia, as well as on the development of new airlines for the group in Ireland and Malta.

As part of the group’s diversification he has participated in the design of a high-speed train network for ILSA, the first private high-speed train operator in Spain, starting operations in 2022.

As a member of the board of AECFA (Spanish Association for Slots coordination) he has a detailed view of the SLOTS situation in Spain.

In relation to his training and studies, he has a multicultural background, both with a business administration degree and an MBA at Sunderland and Oxford University, as well as an executive education at universities such as Stanford University, Instituto de Empresa or ESADE, and complemented with specific international aviation training, endorsed by IATA, which gives him great knowledge in multicultural environments.

Jordi Pla serves as the Chief Network & Strategy Officer at Vueling, a position he has held since October 2024. In this role, he leads the airline’s strategic direction, overseeing strategic planning, network and schedule development, fleet allocation, and building strong commercial partnerships with airports to drive growth.

Jordi joined Vueling in Januarya 2022 as Director of Network Strategy and Planning, bringing over eight years of experience from easyJet. There, he progressed through key roles in the network department, ultimately becoming Head of Network Strategy. During this time, he led the definition and execution of the airline’s growth plans, and coordinating with fleet and ops planning teams.

Jordi’s career has been defined by his leadership in strategic planning, market and financial analysis, and an ambition to foster collaboration across commercial and operational teams. All of these have contributed to his success in senior roles. 

Jordi holds a Master’s in Aeronautical Engineering from UPC and a Master’s in Air Transport Management from Cranfield University, where he received the Course Director’s Prize for his exceptional academic achievement.

Yves has more than 20 years of experience in the airline and aerospace industry. Yves started his career as an aeronautical engineer with Rolls-Royce in the UK, then moved to Air France in the Environmental Affairs Directorate. Air France’s merger with KLM provided Yves with a unique opportunity to manage the build up of the cargo airline’s new 5-year strategic plan and complete several aircraft conversion and acquisition projects as part of the Fleet and Business planning team. Yves was then recruited by Airbus’s Customer Affairs Directorate, successfully marketing, and selling our full portfolio aircraft to startups and majors airlines around the world. Yves now leads the Airbus team in charge of supporting strategic aircraft sales campaigns through planning airline route networks and developing associated fleet plans. He also consolidates market feedback, driving Airbus product & services design improvements. Passionate about air transport market trends, Yves is a regular speaker at major air transport industry conferences. Yves holds a Masters degree in Aeronautical Engineering from ISAE-SUPAERO, Toulouse, France.

Gabriel Schmilovich is the Senior Manager Network Planning, Scheduling & Slots at Vueling Airlines.
He is responsible for the development and management of a continuously growing network, maximizing efficiency and profitability. 

Previously Gabriel was Head of Route Management, Scheduling and Slots of Spanair from 2006 until 2012. Gabriel also has a background in airport management, working for AENA in the economic analytic area for the commercial direction from 2003 until 2006.
 

Agi Smith is the Senior Airport Development and Procurement Manager at easyJet, looking after the cost base and commercial relationships of 48 airports spread across France, Spain, Portugal, Poland and Iceland.

Agi has 13 years’ broad aviation and procurement experience working in a number of roles in the front-line customer service division and HR, leading to airport service contract negotiations, with a proven record of delivering continuous cost improvement within existing supplier bases. Agi is bilingual with a broad experience in dealing with stakeholders at a variety of levels and within multiple countries.

Director John Strickland is a graduate of the University of York and has over 40 years of experience in the airline industry, specialising in network planning and revenue management. He has held senior positions with a number of airlines including British Caledonian, British Airways, KLM uk and Buzz. His experience spans all the major airline business models. London-based JLS Consulting was established in 2003, an air transport consultancy providing strategic insight and advisory services for clients including airports, airlines and investors. John provides expert independent business and financial commentary on the sector for leading global media including the BBC, Sky, Bloomberg and CNN. He is a regular conference chair and moderator at industry events, frequently interviewing leading senior executives.

With over 15 years of experience in air transport management, Pere Suau-Sanchez has combined academic rigour with industry advisory work. His research and consultancy span a wide array of topics, including strategy, airline networks, airport connectivity, route development, strategic airport management, and sustainability within the aviation sector.

He currently serves as a Full Professor of Air Transport Management at the Open University of Catalonia in Spain and as a Senior Lecturer of Air Transport Management at Cranfield University in the UK. His previous academic appointments include a Graduate Faculty position at Central Washington University in the USA and roles at institutions in Spain and The Netherlands.

Suau-Sanchez has made significant contributions to the field, with over 40 peer-reviewed publications and participation in more than 70 international conferences. In research and consultancy, Suau-Sanchez has led projects funded by research councils and advised clients globally, including airlines, airports, and government bodies. His expertise in communicating complex concepts has been evident in industry conferences, executive meetings, and high-level political forums. Additionally, his insights have been featured in prominent international media outlets such as The Wall Street Journal, CNN, Forbes, BBC, and La Vanguardia.

Victoire Totah has dedicated her entire career to aviation and aeronautics. Currently serving as Director of Strategy and Development at EDEIS, she oversees the management of 18 airports across France. In this role, she is redefining sustainable business models for small and regional airports, addressing significant economic and environmental challenges, and driving the development of aviation activities, including pioneering decarbonized projects.

Her previous experience includes serving as Director of Business Development at TAG Aviation, where she managed private aircraft acquisitions, operations, and charter services. At WIJET, she successfully led the sales operations of an air-taxi airline with a fleet of 15 aircraft. Additionally, she developed extensive expertise in business aircraft transactions during her tenure at AERO CAPITAL SAS.

Nina Vojnić Žagar as the General manager of Pula Airport, with over 24 years of experience in Aviation Business, has gained extensive experience in leading the regional airport that is crucial to connectivity and economic development of its region

After graduating from the Faculty of Economics and Business at the University of Rijeka in 1999, she also graduated from MSC study in Non-Financial Reporting in 2008 at the same University.

She has extensive experience as an EU funding project manager.

Her personal skills include being flexible, reliable and possessing excellent time keeping skills. She is an enthusiastic, self-motivated, responsible and hard-working person. She is also a mature team worker as well as adaptable to all challenging situations. She is great at both working in a team environment and using her own initiative.

Mantas Vrubliauskas is VP Network Development at airBaltic, bringing over 13 years of experience in the airline industry. With extensive expertise in route development, fleet planning, and network strategy, he has managed a diverse portfolio of over 100 routes and led transformative projects such as opening new bases, transitioning to a single-type fleet, and optimising connectivity. Passionate about aviation’s role in connecting people and driving economic growth, especially in peripheral regions like the Baltics, Mantas holds a degree in Economics and Finance from Vilnius University