AviaDev - Europe: Where Gorillas Dare…..

An interesting few days in Valencia at AviaDev Europe coincided with the  Valencia Half-Marathon taking place over the following weekend and in some ways that captured the whole spirit of AviaDev. Running a half marathon, even dressed as a Gorilla as Jon Howell will confirm,is a steady journey of progress;  regional connectivity is an equally slow but positive journey. Gorillas can be scary and so can air service development!

There were, as always, many interesting take outs from the event. The morning summit and the general optimism of delegates was as refreshing as a Valencia orange. Many regional services are profitable. Many are growing. New routes are being added, connectivity is expanding, and opportunities exist for many airports and airlines. Discussions centred on big issues such as the environmental cost of aviation and the equally crucial need to provide sustainable connectivity. Success stories were shared and lots of valuable tips were offered up by potential competitors around how you can win a service despite what may appear to be huge challenges at the beginning of a project.

Innovation was discussed and the fact that regional aviation will lead in that innovation. Electric planes sparked interest in the room as well as single pilot operations although there were few takers for such services in the halls. Keeping a lid on costs provoked discussion, especially in the context of big issues such as aviation fuel being up to 40% more expensive at regional airports. While that’s no surprise it highlights just how difficult operations can be. Crew shortages and potential skills gaps over the coming years offer some scary scenario’s that could impact more than just regional services. 

And then one-to-one meetings. These were full of optimism, persuasive cases and frequently similar messages. Small regional airports were, on the one hand, seeking increased connectivity but in many cases balancing that with concern about the potential damage to services from a dominant airline providing access to a major hub. One particular airline kept getting mentioned in that context with their feeder services to their Long-Haul network but effective control of the regional market. 

AviaDev Europe is a relatively small event that does what it says on the tin. Regional airlines and airports discussing opportunities away from 3,000 delegates and the frenetic sprints from table-to-table have been replaced by more leisurely but quality discussions. It works!

Route development for many is a marathon, pausing for breath sometimes a must. Regional aviation development can be more important than the world’s longest route; especially if it only carries 49 passengers; perhaps it is regional after all!  

AviaDev Europe may not get all the attention of other events but for us it’s about quality and not quantity. This event had quality but - fortunately - not the quantity of others…..just one gorilla in the midst was enough!