Last year, participants at the 13th CANNES AIRLINES FORUM defined what they believed to be the conditions necessary for a lasting recovery of air transport. However, this year it is clear that many of those same problems are still with us, and have been joined by still more challenges. The question remains the same: how can our industry survive and prosper? But signs of progress are evident – and we will try to establish how best to take advantage of these and thereby meet our greater expectations. 

Nothing is more permanent than change. The task of managing change to ensure the survival of our industry will not only continue to demand our full attention, but will also increasingly challenge the best of us. In recent years the spotlight has mostly focussed on the need for the legacy or “network” carriers to adapt to survive. However, no one can expect to be sheltered from the winds of change. It is now clear that the pressures to adapt are challenging the “low cost” carriers, the airports, the air navigation authorities, as well as the way our industry distributes its products.

Airframe and propulsion manufacturers are equally challenged to develop and introduce more cost effective, more economical, less noisy and less energy consuming equipment. Our entire industry and all its diverse participants are in transformation – and the pace is accelerating. During this important Forum, we will be discussing some of the forces and trends which are in the process of re-shaping our world and – hopefully – we will identify better ways to optimise our respective positions within this evolving universe.