CHICAGO, 2012-10-2 — /travelprnews.com/ — Chicago Department of Aviation (CDA) Commissioner Rosemarie S. Andolino was one of many industry experts who spoke at the opening day of the World Route Development Strategy Summit on September 30 in Abu Dhabi.
Leaders from airlines, airports, governments, network planning, travel and tourism, air cargo and economic development authorities attended the summit to discuss the challenges and opportunities that the global aviation industry faces over the next 18 months.
Commissioner Andolino participated in a plenary session during day one titled “Establishing the potential of the aviation industry to drive economic growth in the current financial climate.” She was joined by Patrick Heck, CFO, Denver International Airport; Olaf Petersenn, Director Flight Division, TUI Deutschland GmbH; Richard Evans, Head of Market Analysis, Civil Large Engines, Rolls-Royce; Hiran Perera, SVP for Cargo Planning & Freighters, Emirates SkyCargo; and Mohammed Al Dhaheri, Quality and Performance Manager, Abu Dhabi Tourism and Culture Authority.
The panel discussed the near-term global economic outlook from the perspective of the aviation industry; the merits of open skies agreements in driving economic development; the current state of the global tourism industry; and the advantages of investing in the air cargo sector.
As one of two airport representatives on the panel, Andolino provided the airport industry’s perspective during the discussion. “Airports are huge economic generators and job creators for our countries and regions, and will continue to be a critical part of driving economic growth,” she said. “The Chicago Department of Aviation is aggressively pursuing new air service, building new runways, bringing more international traffic into our global gateway, and continuing to reinvest in our facilities.”
The two-day summit continued today with a series of seminars on technical airport issues. The conference was organized by UBM Aviation in collaboration with the International Civil Aviation Organization and the World Bank.
###