Source: ALTA
Despite the challenges and uncertainty that the aviation industry has faced this year, ALTA celebrates the realization of a successful ALTA CCMA & MRO Conference with great milestones and a powerful message: it is possible to resume travels and face-to-face business meetings when safety protocols are taken.
The agenda of the fourteenth edition of the ALTA CCMA & MRO Conference featured multiple networking spaces, meetings of ALTA’s Technical & MRO and Technical Purchasing committees, about 750 mini-meetings between airline and supplier representatives, an academic agenda focused on the efficient management of the operation during and after crisis and an exhibition area with table tops from 21 industry companies.
Within the different activities, the message on the importance of being together in person once again and the urgency of retaking these spaces to support the recovery of the industry was repeated almost unanimously.
“This event is not just about doing business. Much more than that, this event wants to show that, with all health protocols and with social responsibility, we are ready to unite countries, families, friends, colleagues, protect and create jobs and much more. We are an industry passionate about safety and we work daily to offer the safest means of transport, and now the most biosafe”, commented José Ricardo Botelho, ALTA Executive Director & CEO, during his welcome speech.
As part of the academic agenda, airline representatives exchanged experiences on the readjustment of strategies to manage costs during these months with the fall in demand, the conservation and parking of aircraft, technologies to generate efficiencies and sanitation measures for employees, among others.
Executives also discussed the keys to create new airlines in the current context, what is needed to start and what makes the difference in this business, especially in terms of maintenance and technical purchases. Also the role of diversity in the industry and the importance of inclusion in decision-making within a company.
In the discussions regarding MRO, figures for this year’s decline and the prospects of resuming the levels of 2019 in 2026 were shown, as well as improvements in the aircraft maintenance service as a result of the crisis and the risks that could present monopolies in the supply chain. In addition, it was recognized that in the current context, timely and frequent communication, flexibility and inclusive agreements are key to achieve effective solutions and long-term relationships.
In the academic agenda, the role of organizations in connecting the authorities of the different countries to generate unified, relevant and urgent responses for the industry was also reinforced, seeking not to generate additional obstacles.
During the meeting in Riviera Maya, the Committee of Buyers of Aeronautical Material (CCMA), the oldest in the region, held its 109th meeting with the participation of representatives from 23 airlines. An important milestone due to the breadth and relevance that this group takes each year.
“There may still be uncertainties, maybe some fears, but we show that this industry has a powerful engine that will drive its recovery and that engine is its committed professionals who “walk de talk”. Each of us here is a spokesperson of this message of confidence in air transport. Not just in airlines but in an extensive value chain that includes airports, suppliers, tour operators, destinations, to name a few. A chain that generates well-being for millions of people directly, indirectly and induced”, Botelho concluded.
The ALTA CCMA & MRO Conference 2020 yearbook available here: https://www.alta.aero/ccma/2020/yearbook/