ECAC/EU DIALOGUE
with the European air transport industry
Paris | 13–14 October 2026
Is resilience successfully engrained in aviation, or are we failing to adequately adapt?
PROGRAMME |
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download here |
Monday, 12 October 2026 📍Meliá Paris la Défense
| 19:00 – 21:00 | Welcome cocktail reception | 📍Skyline Bar, 19th floor |
Tuesday, 13 October 2026 📍Meliá Paris la Défense
| 08:00 – 09:00 | Registration and welcome coffee | 📍Foyer Takis, level -1 |
| 09:00 | Welcome and opening addresses | 📍Miro I + II, level -1 |
| Alessio Quaranta, President of ECAC Filip Cornelis, Director of Aviation, DG MOVE, European Commission |
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| Opening remarks Wouter Dewulf, Professor of Air Transport Economics and Strategy, University of Antwerp, and Academic Director, Master in Maritime and Air Transport Management, Antwerp Management School |
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| 09:35 | Session 1: Let’s talk about threats | |
| This session will focus on insights from individuals both directly and indirectly responsible for identifying and monitoring threats to resilience in the aviation sector. Rather than seeking to define solutions to address these threats, it will consider how they are monitored, developments in risk management approaches, and what this means for the respective roles and responsibilities of industry and government stakeholders. Introduction by the moderator Abraham Foss, Chief Executive Officer, Avinor |
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| 09:40 | Keynote address Ambassador Gregor Schusterschitz, Permanent Representative of Austria to the European Union in Brussels |
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| 10:00-10:30 | Coffee break | 📍Foyer Takis |
| 10:30 | Panel discussion: Threats faced by aviation in 2026 | |
| Panellists: | Naif Ali Al-Abri, President, Civil Aviation Authority, Oman More panellists to be announced Open forum discussion and wrap-up by the moderator |
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| 12:00 | Experience of safety risk management and the evolving safety risks picture Presentation by EASA |
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| 12:30 – 13:45 | Lunch break | 📍Foyer Takis |
| 13:45 | Session 2: Building European resilience through action: a look at existing initiatives and approaches This session will present case studies of current European and national initiatives in the aviation sector, focused on addressing specific threats to resilience. These efforts aim to preserve Europe’s position as a leader in aviation technology and airspace network management by promoting greater air connectivity, minimising passenger disruption, and supporting economic stability and growth in the region. Building on these case studies, the session will consider how such initiatives could be further strengthened and developed to help the industry and governments achieve resilience across the aviation sector. Introduction by the moderator Alexander D’Orsogna, Director General of Civil Aviation, ENAC, Italy |
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| 13:55 | Case studies from the aviation sector illustrating initiatives aimed at enhancing resilience | |
| Speakers: | Saulius Batavičius, Chief Executive Officer, Oro Navigacija, Lithuania Emanuel Fleuti, Vice President Sustainability, Zurich Airport Raymond Wei, Vice President, Chief Technical Officer, Airspace Mobility Solutions, Thales Valeriu Cazan, Chief Inspector, Safety and Compliance Management Directorate, Civil Aviation Authority of the Republic of Moldova Open forum discussion and wrap-up by moderator |
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| 15:15 | Coffee break | 📍Foyer Takis |
| 15:45 | Panel discussion: Is the aviation sector in 2026 resilient, or are we counting on the worst not happening? | |
| Panellists: | Chems Chkioua, Director General of Civil Aviation, France Eddy Liegeois, Head of the Aviation Policy Unit, DG MOVE, European Commission Ahmet Olmuştur, Chief Executive Officer and member of the Executive Committee, Turkish Airlines Ourania Georgoutsakou, Managing Director, Airlines for Europe (A4E) Bojun Wang, Senior Economist, Modelling and Forecasting, IATA Open forum discussion and wrap-up by the facilitator |
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| 17:15 | End of day one | |
| 19:30 – 22:00 | Cocktail reception | |
Wednesday, 14 October 2026 📍Meliá Paris la Défense
| 08:30 | Welcome coffee | 📍Foyer Takis |
| 09:00 | Opening by the ECAC facilitator | 📍Miro I + II, level -1 |
| 09:05 | Overview of Day 1 Wilhelm Eschweiler, Director General of Civil Aviation, Germany |
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| 09:15 | Interview Wilhelm Eschweiller, Director General of Civil Aviation, Germany, will chat with Montserrat Barriga, Director General of the European Regions Airline Association (ERAA) on the key takeaways from the previous day’s discussions, any resilience-related risks or initiatives that may not yet have been addressed, and the implications of those discussions for future developments in aviation resilience |
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| 09:45 | Session 3: Developing a comprehensive blueprint for enhanced European resilience in 2027 and beyond This session will take a future look, with the aim of shaping a vision for maintaining and enhancing resilience in and around the aviation sector from 2027 onwards. Participants will reflect on the potential consequences of inaction for future resilience, and consider how those engaged in this dialogue could collaborate more or support specific initiatives to strengthen resilience across ECAC Member States and Europe as a whole. Introduction by the moderator Ana Mata, Chairwoman of the Board of the Portuguese Civil Aviation Authority (ANAC) |
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| 09:55 | Panel discussion: Resilience – an achievable goal or a necessary aspiration? | |
| Case study: Building resilience through airspace transformation Predrag Vranjkovic, Head of Strategy, Engagement and Institutional Relations, EUROCONTROL |
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| 10:15-10:45 | Coffee break | 📍Foyer Takis |
| Panellists: | Young Tae Kim, Secretary-General, International Transport Forum Ruben Schuster, Head of EU Liaison Office, Senior Director, Lufthansa Group Adrian Florea, Director of Operations, ROMATSA, Romania More panellists to be announced Open forum discussion and wrap-up by moderator |
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| 12:15 | Dialogue conclusions and close | |
| Alessio Quaranta, President of ECAC Filip Cornelis, Director of Aviation, D MOVE, European Commission |
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| 12:35 | Close of Dialogue | |