ALTA Hosts Annual General Meeting and Leaders Forum
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ALTA Hosts Annual General Meeting and Leaders Forum

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Emilio Aristegui By Emilio Aristegui | Junior Journalist and Industry Analyst - Wed, 10/19/2022 - 18:19

The Latin American and Air Transport Association (ALTA) hosted the CEOs of Iberia, GOL and Azul in ALTA’s 18th Annual General Meeting and Leaders Forum in Buenos Aires, Argentina. The “Aviation growth in the face of new challenges" panel addressed three key topics: the recovery of passenger demand in Latin America, the consolidation of airlines in the US and the EU and necessary challenges to overcome in the post-pandemic era. 

While the industry has faced major challenges in the past, "the good thing is that we turned the page and came back. The demand came back, and there are many problems, but we are doing well in some respects. We see more in some sectors and more growth. We failed in the predictions regarding pricing and how we are recovering from the crisis. We are also seeing a much stronger recovery in corporate traffic, which is good news. I think this is the starting point. We know that we must live now with a certain degree of uncertainty, but that is what we have in this industry," said Javier Sanchez-Prieto, CEO, Iberia, via ALTA’s news.  

Sanchez-Prieto explained that the industry faces three main challenges: making the industry work, the importance of the industry for social and economic development and redefining sustainability as a challenge instead of a threat. Celso Ferrer, CEO, GOL, sees a more optimistic outlook in which the industry will be able to recover in at least two years. 

"The demand for flights is very high. We can go through the war in Ukraine, COVID-19 and all the problems that arise if demand continues to increase... Some days we had negative sales because people were asking for refunds, there were many things, and there are many things that governments can do to help and support the airlines,” said John Rodgerson, CEO, Azul. 

Rodgerson addressed the importance of consolidation and the diversification of different markets as industry strengths, arguing that consolidation generates growth and is positive for the entire industry. 

Despite the challenges, aviation in Mexico is quickly recovering to its pre-pandemic levels. The country is forecasted to have a 33 percent growth in passenger traffic over the next 15 years and tourism will be a key contributor to the economy. “Mexico, in particular, has done a good job in keeping its market open to demand from North America, which helped the airlines stay healthy,” said David Franson, Regional Director and Market Analyst, Boeing, to MBN.  

Photo by:   Image by Mariamza from Pixabay

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