ACES – Athens 6th Airport Chief Executives’ Symposium

The “ACES-Athens” consistently aims at fostering constructive dialogue, highlighting, on the one hand, the interdependence between airports and the destinations they serve, and on the other, the overall contribution of the aviation industry and airports to the economic development of their destinations.

More than 150 top executives from the air transport, finance, and tourism sectors, responded to the call of Athens International Airport. This year’s “ACES – Athens” was held under the title

Growing Sustainably
A new strategy for Airports & Destinations

in line with the ACI EUROPE Initiative announced last June, focusing on the perceived need for a new Sustainability Era paving the way towards a broader vision and a holistic Business to Society Strategy for the Airports & the Destinations they serve.
Five airports – London/ Heathrow, Amsterdam, Munich, Naples and Athens - are the “ambassadors” of this ACI-EUROPE initiative. Under the slogan “Looking for The Golden Ratio”, this year’s ACES dwelled on seeking the golden balance between Business and Society and the need for a new holistic Business to Society strategy.
In specific, the topics analyzed were the following:

è The contribution of Athens International Airport to the Greek economy: An update by the Foundation of Economic & Industrial Research (IOBE) of the socio-economic impact study of Athens International Airport, which was initially conducted by the Athens University of Economics and Business

è A holistic Business to Society Strategy: A new Sustainability Era for the Airports & the Destinations they serve

è Growing Sustainably: Managing Inclusive Growth & Infrastructure Development

è The impact of new technologies on the way we understand, design and ultimately live in cities

Prominent executives from the global aviation industry, tourism, and travel & trade services, as well as distinguished speakers honoured the 6th ACES-Athens:

· Mrs Angela Gittens, Director General, ACI World, Mr Olivier Jankovec, Director General, ACI EUROPE, Mr Nikolaos Vettas, Professor of Economics, Department of Economics, Athens University of Economics and Business, and Director-General, IOBE
and Prof. Carlo Ratti, MIT, Prof. of Urban Technologies and Planning / Director, SENSEable City Lab, were the Key Speakers

Panel I:
· Mr Olivier Jankovec, Director General, ACI EUROPE – Moderator, Mr Armando Brunini, CEO, Naples International Airport - GESAC s.p.a., Dr Michael Kerkloh, CEO & President ADV, Flughafen München GmbH and President, ACI EUROPE, Mr Thomas Woldbye, CEO, Copenhagen Airport A/S, Dr Yiannis N. Paraschis, CEO, Athens International Airport S.A.

Panel II:
· Mr Thodoris Georgakopoulos, Editorial Director, diaNEOsis – Moderator, Mrs Sofia Gkiousou, Regional Policy Campaign Manager EMEA+ at Airbnb, Mr Christos Harpantidis, Chairman and Managing Director, Papastratos CMC S.A., Mr Yanni Paniaras, Executive Director, Greek Region & Group Corporate Affairs, TITAN Chairman, SEV Business Council for Sustainable Development, Mr Alexandros Vassilikos, President, Hellenic Chamber of Hotels

Addressing the ACES – Athens guests, the CEO of Athens International Airport, Yiannis Paraschis, stated:

“For the sixth consecutive year, our ACES – Athens Symposium, an Athens airport initiative well established by now, became a great platform for the development of new ideas for airports and destinations.

This year we focused on the airports’ perceived need towards embracing a broader vision of sustainability and putting its holistic socio-economic dimension at the core of our business strategy. At the same time, within the framework of aviation as a major contributor to the global economy, we re-emphasized the contribution of the Athens airport to the local, national economy and employment through the most updated by IOBE study conducted by the Athens University of Economics and Business.

As hosts of this significant gathering in our city, we would like to convey our most sincere thanks to our distinguished guests and to all contributors to the success of the 6th ACES -Athens, that underlined once again the importance of cooperation, exchange of views, and solidarity towards the achievement of our common goals for growth and development.”