The ninth edition of the Arab Aviation Summit (AAS), the region’s leading aviation and tourism industry event, set to take place from February 28 to March 2 at Al Hamra International Exhibition & Conference Centre in Ras Al Khaimah, will feature a top-notch panel of global experts.
Following the overwhelming success of the eighth edition, which was also the first in-person aviation industry event held after the pandemic in the region, this year’s summit focuses on the theme, ‘The Roadmap to Recovery.’ With the global aviation and tourism sector gaining traction, the high-level event will underline the opportunities and challenges in ramping up the sector’s growth, with a particular focus on the Middle East region. Ahead of the Summit on March 1, extensive workshops will be held to discuss the regional trends in aviation and tourism.
Referred to as the ‘voice of the industry’, this initiative will also bring the largest assembly of Arab media together and top executives from the aviation and tourism sector. The Summit will also reiterate the strong linkages between tourism, aviation and hospitality, three core growth sectors, which have a dominant role in post-pandemic recovery for local economies. Experts will discuss global best practices, and measures taken to build the resilience of the aviation and the tourism sector. A white paper, based on deliberations of participants, will be created post the Summit as a data bank on the insights shared during the event.
The keynote speakers, with several more coming on board, include CEOs, Presidents, global aviation & tourism experts, distinguished airline officials, policy makers and representatives.
They include: Abdul Wahab Teffaha, Secretary General, Arab Air Carriers Organisation; Kamil al Awadhi, Regional Vice President – Africa and the Middle East, IATA; Athanasios Titonis, CEO, Ras Al Khaimah International Airport; Adel al Ali, Group CEO, Air Arabia; Raki Phillips, CEO, Ras Al Khaimah Tourism Development Authority; Mikail Houari, President, Airbus Africa Middle East; Maen Razouqi, CEO, Kuwait Airways; Majid Khan, VP Aviation Development, Istanbul Airport; Henk van der Velde, Regional Director, Trip.com; Ismail Ali Adulla, CEO, Strata Manufacturing PJSC; Omar Seraj Akbar, CEO, Zamzam, Thoyyib Mohamed, CEO & MD Visit Maldives; Ismail Ali Abdulla, CEO, Strata Manufacturing; Vijay Arumbakkam, CEO & Co-Founder of Vaayu Group; Filip Maksymilian Bloch, CEO, Hotailors; Basmah al Mayman, Regional Director of the Middle East UNWTO; Ilin Dimitrov, Chairman of Tourism Commission, Bulgaria Parliament; Muzzammil Ahussain, Executive Vice President, Travel, Seera Group and others.
Endorsed by Arab Governments, the 2022 AAS will be hosted in collaboration with RAK TDA and supported by global industry partners such as Airbus, CFM, Air Arabia, Turkish Technic, Collins Aerospace and others.
Al Hamra International Exhibition & Conference Centre in Ras Al Khaimah, the location of the 2022 event, offers state-of-the-art, elegantly designed meeting facilities, and is the first safe meeting facility in the world, as certified by Bureau Veritas, the international leader in testing and inspection services and the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) Safe Travel Stamp.
