AFA spotlight: Top themes & debates to watch out for

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Ahead of Aviation Festival Asia, Henry Harteveldt, Travel Industry Analyst, Atmosphere Research Group joined to provide a preview of the key themes and discussions that will take place onsite. In this 10-minute conversation, Harteveldt, a well-respected travel industry analyst, shared insights from his prep calls with speakers and panellists.

Beginning with an overview of key themes the audience can expect to hear on stage, Harteveldt offered:

• General industry optimism about 2025 and even 2026
• Serious concerns regarding supply chain (One of the biggest concerns mentioned by C-level executives)
• A renewed focus on operational reliability and a dedication to excel at IROPs
• Technology and AI underpinning the majority of conversations
• Retailing and first in-market iterations

Harteveldt also pinpointed the potential areas of contention, where differences of opinion are most likely to emerge. These included supply chain, economic stability, climate & sustainability, and technology challenges.

Speaking on the region’s broader significance for innovation in the sector, Harteveldt explained:

“The APAC region is such a tech-centric, tech-forward part of the world. It has a relatively young population, and so you have a lot of digital natives who live in these countries. You have a lot of technology companies headquartered across the region, an enormous amount of technology innovation that is taking place across the region, and you are seeing these populations using technology for everything in their lives—not just airline or travel-related. Their expectation is that airlines will meet or come very close to the convenience, utility, digital security, and more that the everyday brands they work with offer.”

Questions include:

1. You are moderating some key sessions at the event, what are some themes we can expect to hear on stage?
2. The industry is facing a multitude of challenges and often there are strong but?conflicting opinions on how to tackle them. In your view, where do?the main points of contention lie?
3. Of course the event is located in Singapore and will have speakers/companies from across Asia-Pacific, what makes the region particularly significant when we think about innovation in the sector?

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For more on AFA 2025 see:

• (2) Agenda spotlight: Five unmissable sessions at AFA 2025
• AFA spotlight: “It takes a village to raise a start up”
• (1) Agenda spotlight: Five unmissable sessions at AFA 2025