Source: ALA News reporting

  • This year for the first time, ALA News joined the now traditional meeting that takes place annually in Athens and which has become a platform for discussion and exchange of ideas for industry leaders
  • Air Transport News also awarded the Latin American and Caribbean Air Transport Association (ALTA) as International Organization 2021

In the context of the Summer Aviation Forum, which every September brings together leaders from all areas of the aviation industry in Athens, the Air Transport Awards were presented, which this year added two more award categories to ALA News, to recognize leaders and organizations in the Americas. The award ceremony took place after a day of debate and exchange of opinions on the challenges facing aviation.

Awards

To the three categories in which, year after year, Air Transport News recognizes airlines, airports and executives, this time two more were added thanks to which ALA News was able to distinguish Alex de Gunten with the Individual Award 2021 and Airports Council International – Latin America and the Caribbean Region (ACI-LAC), as “International Organization 2021”.

Alex de Gunten is one of the greatest aviation experts in the Americas. He currently serves as Senior Vice President of Government and Industry Affairs for Heico Corporation. Previously, he was Executive Director and CEO of the Latin American and Caribbean Air Transport Association (ALTA), International Vice President of LanChile and had a long professional career in Canada, a country where he also graduated as a Chemical Engineer from the University from McGill (Montreal) and in which he obtained an MBA from the prestigious Queens University (Kingston, Ontario).

Upon receiving this recognition, De Gunten commented that “as the industry slowly recovers from the worst crisis of its history,  only working together, airlines, airports, governments, associations, manufacturers and suppliers will we be successful in ensuring a stronger, safer, more efficient and environmentally responsible  industry.  As an aviation lover and fanatic, it is a great honor to receive the inaugural ALA Individual Award.”

In the International Organization category, this year’s ALA News award was given to Airports Council International – Latin America & Caribbean Region – ACI-LAC. On behalf of Rafael Echevarne, Director-General of ACI-LAC and who could not be present, Luis Felipe de Oliveira, Director-General of ACI World, received the distinction. Dr. Echevarne expressed his deep appreciation from the distance, noting that “ACI-LAC is truly thankful for this award as it reflects the advancements made in this world region over the years, as well as the great opportunities lying ahead. Aviation is essential for our region’s social and economic development and we aim to provide the support and leadership to ensure this happens in a safe and sustainable way.
Thanks to ALA for playing such an important role in helping disseminate industry information in our region – we truly value our partnership.”

Another Important Distinction

Air Transport News also recognized with an important distinction to one of the leading civil aviation organizations in the Americas. Indeed, the ATN award to the International Organization of the Year, went to the Latin American and Caribbean Air Transport Association (ALTA) which, throughout the current health crisis that has affected civil aviation so much, has supported the resumption of operations in each of the countries of the region, working with governments and in coordination with international organizations such as ICAO. In addition, ALTA has continued to provide platforms so that all industry actors can come together and contribute to its advancement. Clear examples of this commitment are the CCMA & MRO conferences held in 2020 and this year, in addition to the ALTA Leaders’ Forum scheduled for next October, in Bogotá.

The award was received by Jose Ricardo Botelho, Executive Director and CEO of ALTA, who, upon accepting it, said “we are honored to receive the ATN International Organisation Award and I would like to express our gratitude for this recognition. In the recent years, ALTA has experienced a profound transformation that has made the association even leaner, more agile and effective. This transformation allowed us to be ready -with 40 years of experience and renewed dynamism- to maximize the efforts and collaborative work to support our members and the entire travel and tourism industry in the takeoff and recovery processes after the deepest unexpected crisis caused by COVID19. We still have plenty of work ahead, and we are proud to welcome new members, develop agreements with more entities and offer aviation professionals different programs to do it together. We are together and we will rise together!”

Summer Aviation Forum 2021 Program

The central theme of this year’s version of the Summer Aviation Forum was “A simple recovery or fundamental regeneration”. To contribute to this debate, three panels for discussion and exchange of opinions were held, in which experts from all areas of the industry participated.

Among the organizations that took part, in addition to the aforementioned ACI World and ALTA, this year there were representatives from Aegean, Lufthansa and Qatar airlines; from the international airports of Athens, Cluj and Istanbul; Fraport, Goldair Airline Services and Heico Corporation; from Eurocontrol, European Aviation Authority; the Hellenic Aviation Society and the African Airline Association (AFRAA).