By Jeff Peet, Managing Editor from Tenerife. 1.- How long have you been professionally involved in the tourism industry? I have always worked in the tourism industry. I am 47 years old and I have been doing it for the last 25 years, so I have dedicated most of my life to be involved in the sector, both in hotels and airport handling, but also and mostly with tour operators and agencies, as a contractor. Tourism is something that I like, that I am passionate about and when you feel passion for what you do, everything is much easier and it becomes more bearable. 2.- What is the importance of the Aviation-Event 2021 Tenerife conference that you just hosted less [...]

By Jeff Peet, Managing Editor. 1.-What is the reality of the participation of women in the commercial aviation industry? The number of women in aviation has remained stagnant or has decreased in most functional specialties since the 1980’s. That shocking statistic isn’t going to compel improvements in gender balance; nor will change happen solely because it’s the right thing to do. The aviation system and who participates in that system is a product of the system design. All elements of that system must shift to encourage girls and women to seek careers in aviation. Once in aviation, the systems that support employees must be adjusted to understand and account for the unique  pressures and obligations of women. Until those responsible [...]

By Jeff Peet, Editor-in-Chief.     Much has been said about the resilience of civil aviation. Many even argue that no other industry could have withstood a crisis like this, despite having been one of the most affected economic sectors and on which so many other areas such as tourism depend. In this context, the question that immediately arises is: How long can the industry endure such adverse conditions to operate? Or rightly, what does it require to continue operating, depending on what is coming?   The crisis caused by the Coronavirus pandemic is unprecedented and its effects on the economy and our way of life will continue for a while. This year has been very complex for everyone, private [...]

Salvatore Sciacchitano, President of the International Civil Aviation Organization: "The COVID-19 pandemic emphasizes the importance of solidarity and global alignment in Aviation"   Edited by Jeff Peet   1.- What role has the industry played in the development of harmonization measures, that is, actions common to all its actors to face this pandemic in a coordinated manner?   Industry participation has been wide and highly appreciated. Airline and airport operators are more directly involved in the passenger experience and, as historical aviation safety performance reveals, protecting passengers from any and all risks to their health and safety is the first and higher commitment of air transport.   From a general point of view, everyone should appreciate that CART's work has [...]

Rafael Echevarne, ACI-LAC Director General "This first semester, in Latin America and the Caribbean, commercial aviation has lost 170 million passengers and 2 billion dollars" By Jeff Peet   1.- What is the operation or current reality of airports in Latin America and the Caribbean and what can you tell us, within the framework of what will be the “new normality”? The first thing to note is that the airports in Latin America and the Caribbean have not ceased operating. The vast majority have continued to operate because, despite the fact that there are no passenger flights, there are cargo, humanitarian and repatriation flights. There are perhaps some small and rather remote that might have closed, but in a high [...]

Juan Carlos Salazar, General Director of Civil Aviation of Colombia: “THE FUTURE WE WILL HAVE WILL BE THE ONE THAT WE BUILD AMONG ALL, IN A PACT FOR AVIATION AND ITS KEY ROLE IN THE GLOBAL CONTEXT” By Jeff Peet   1 What is the reality of the technological infrastructure available to Colombian civil aviation to optimize performance and ensure the safety of air traffic in your country and how does it compare with other places? The CNS technological infrastructure that Civil Aviation has in its role as a provider of air navigation services is avant-garde and cutting-edge in the Region, recognized by the Air Navigation Commission (ANC) of the International Civil Aviation Organization – ICAO. Now, this capacity requires [...]

“MUCH COORDINATION WILL BE NEEDED TO TAKE OFF AGAIN” 1.- ALTA underwent a big transformation with the change of headquarters from Miami to Panama City, hiring more than half of a team that was new to the industry and you also adopted a strategy to be closer to your members and basic audience. How has that process evolved?  Well, when I took over, ALTA was in a crisis of identity because it was a small organization trying to be a big one, competing with the other organizations in the region and that was a big mistake. Basically as an organization, you need to rely on your peers and work together. In addition, we are in the same industry so there [...]