Airline Leaders Among those to Speak at Airports Canada Conference in Ottawa

Wednesday, April 25, 2007 -

Airline Leaders Among those to Speak at Airports Canada Conference in Ottawa
Don Bell, Montie Brewer, Robert Deluce join multi-national leaders
from airline, airport and other industry sectors at Airports Canada 2007

OTTAWA (April 25, 2007) – The Canadian Airports Council (CAC) today unveiled its speaker line up for the April 25-26^th Airports Canada conference in Gatineau-Ottawa, including WestJet Co-Founder Don Bell, Air Canada President and CEO Montie Brewer, Porter Airlines CEO Robert Deluce, Australian Deputy High Commissioner Tony Huber and a host of other multi-national leaders from airline, airport and other industry organizations.

“The success of Canada’s civil aviation sector is the result of the combined efforts of our nation’s airports, airlines and other important industry stakeholders,” said Mr. Jim Facette, CAC president and CEO.“Airports Canada will be a tremendous opportunity to gather these leaders in one place to discuss the important issues that will shape our industry in the years to come.”

Airports Canada is expected to be one of the best attended events in the CAC’s 16-year history.Among the confirmed speakers is Hon. Stockwell Day, Minister of Public Safety, who is scheduled to give a lunch address.Other confirmed panellists include:
 

• Robert J. Aaronson, Director General of Airports Council International
• Sam Barone, president and CEO of the Air Transport Association of Canada
• Gary Bartek, chairman of The International Air Cargo Association
• Don Bell, WestJet co-founder and EVP of culture
• Montie Brewer, Air Canada president and CEO
• Robert Deluce, founding president and CEO of Porter Airlines
• Michael DiLollo, SVP, Technical Ops & Customer Service for Air Transat
• Brian McGarr, COO, Canadian Air Transportation Security Authority
• Eduardo Flores, Regional Secretary of Airports Council International – Latin America
• Rich Gage, President and CEO of the Canadian Business Aviation Association
• Alain Jolicoeur, President, Canada Border Services Agency
• Tina Kremmidas, Assistant VP & Senior Economist of the Canadian Chamber of Commerce
• Gregory Principato, President of Airports Council International-North America
• Randy Williams, President and CEO of the Tourism Industry Association of Canada
• Campbell Wilson, SVP of Singapore Airlines

Themed “The Runway Ahead,” Airports Canada will feature a keynote address from Dr. Stephan Van Beek of Jacobs Consultancy.A former senior policy and strategic development executive for Airports Council International-North America, Mr. Van Beek will take a look at what the future of airports may look like – 20, 30 even 50 years from now.(should we not include the title of his keynote address?)

“As the voice of Canada’s airports, the Canadian Airports Council works toward a long-term vision for airports in Canada with a collaborative approach that involves working closely with our other industry partners,” said Mr. Facette.“Together with these partners, at Airports Canada 2007 we will examine the future of airports as they grow to bring Canada to the world.”

Panels will look at the place of Canada’s airports in the world, international air service development, airport business models from around the globe, maximization of non-aeronautical revenue, the business/economic context in which Canada’s airports will operate over the years to come and Canada’s future regulatory framework for airports.

Airports Canada 2007 is being held at the Hilton Lac-Leamy Hotel in Gatineau, Que., just 10 minutes from downtown Ottawa. More information on the event is available on the CAC Web site at www.cacairports.ca.

About the Canadian Airports Council

The Canadian Airports Council (CAC) is the voice for Canada’s airports.Its 43 members represent more than 150 airports, including all of the National Airports System (NAS) airports and most significant municipal airports in every province and territory. Together, CAC members handle virtually all of the nation’s air cargo and international passenger traffic and 95% of domestic passenger traffic.They create well in excess of $30 billion in economic activity in the communities they serve.And more than 150,000 jobs are directly associated with CAC member airports, generating a payroll of more than $8 billion annually.

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