In anticipation of the third edition of the highly successful Global Aerospace Summit, 25 key industry players will build more momentum towards the event with a first-ever internationally-based meeting of advisory board members at the Paris Air Show.

An exclusive, invitation-only event, the Global Aerospace Summit 2016 will take place in Abu Dhabi next March, providing delegates with an open, engaging platform which will shed light on the most compelling topics from aviation safety and emerging markets to open-skies agreements. The summit will act as a one-stop forum for the most pressing issues of our times.

"The Advisory Board will bring together aerospace leaders from a range of sectors, their diverse backgrounds and spectrum of expertise merging to serve an industry which demands a continued focus on innovation," said Badr Al Olama, Chief Executive Officer, Strata Manufacturing.

Innovation is the central theme of this year's summit, with the agenda being tailored to bring forward an aerospace transformation in support of global economic development within the context of a calculated, strategic framework.

"Next year's fundamental focus areas will include what commercial airlines and original equipment manufacturers need to do in order to manage getting the next one billion passengers in the sky and how to deal with the significant challenges," said Giorgio Callegari, Deputy Director-General, Aeroflot Russian Airlines.

High on the summit's agenda will be defining the impact that Unmanned Aerial Vehicle, UAV, technology will have on commercial aviation and the need for innovative offset programmes to spur knowledge transfer and economic growth, garnering substantial gains for all parties involved in aviation-related operations.

The Global Aerospace Summit is also expected to identify the latest technology for aerospace research and development as well as aerospace manufacturing trends that assist companies to stay ahead of the game. Expansion of the aerospace supply chain and avoiding its pitfalls will be subject to intensive debate.

In the defence arena, the summit will probe into the latest developments in cyber security and robotics, and debate whether technology is exposing enterprise and critical assets to greater risks while also examining the growing impact the continued evolution of unmanned systems is having on battlefield robotics.

"We have consulted some of the greatest minds in the business, across all industry sectors and geographic footprints, to create the over-arching summit theme and ensure we are on the right track to another penetrating and thought-provoking gathering," said Oisin Commane, Group Director of Streamline Marketing Group, SMG, which organises the summit. "The inclusion of space exploration and technology in the 2016 summit is particularly relevant, as it falls in line with the UAE Space Agency's launch as a national space strategy."

The GAS 2016 Space Committee comprises Mauricio Guerrero, Chief Executive Officer, AngelicvM Aerospace Foundation, Stephane Israel, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Arianespace, Andrew Nelson, Founder and CEO, Karman Line Industries, Sir Martin Sweeting, Group Executive Chairman, Surrey Satellite and Samer Halawi, Chief Executive Officer, Thuraya Telecommunications Company.
Source: WAM