The Wings of Change Americas Conference comes to Bogotá
IATA announced that this year's Wings of Change Americas (WOCA) Conference will take place at the Grand Hyatt Hotel in Bogotá, Colombia, on June 25 and 26, with Avianca as the host airline
The premier aviation industry event in Latin America and the Caribbean will be held under the theme "The Connectivity Frontier: Exploring New Opportunities in the Region." The agenda highlights the importance of collaboration between the aviation industry and government agencies, with a specific focus on improving regional connectivity and competitiveness. Specific topics include travel and tourism, technology and innovation, operations, sustainability, and distribution.
Frederico Pedreira, CEO and President of Avianca, and Peter Cerdá, IATA's Regional Vice President for the Americas, will participate in the event alongside other prominent airline CEOs from the region, including:
Roberto Alvo - CEO, LATAM Airlines Group
Pedro Heilbron - CEO, Copa Airlines
Stuardo Ortiz - CEO, JetSMART Airlines
Adrian Neuhauser - CEO, Abra Group
Erika Zarante Bahamón – CEO, LATAM Airlines Colombia
In line with the conference's goal of developing solutions across the aviation value chain, the speaker lineup also includes representatives from various industry stakeholders, including:
Arturo Barreira - President, Airbus Latin America and the Caribbean
Natalia Bayona - Executive Director, UN Tourism
Ricardo Bernardi - Partner, Bernardi & Schnapp
Carolina Betancourt - SAF Project Director, BioD S. A
Rafael Echevarne - General Director, ACI-LAC
Natalí Leal - General Manager, OPAIN
Victoria Platt – Vice President of Strategy and Airline Transformation, SITA
Roberto Roselli - CEO, Plus Ultra
Harris Whitbeck - Minister of Tourism, Republic of Guatemala
The aviation industry plays a key role in the economic and social development of Latin America and the Caribbean. The sector supports more than 8.3 million jobs and generates an economic contribution of approximately USD 240 billion to GDP (2023). Estimates indicate that these figures will almost double by 2043, reaching 15 million jobs and a contribution of USD 500 billion to GDP.
Bogotá was selected as the host city for this event due to the growing importance of the Colombian air transport market. In 2023, the air transport value chain contributed USD 15.5 billion to Colombia's GDP, representing 4.3% of Colombia's total GDP, in addition to generating 921,000 jobs.
Source: IATA.