Earlier this week I was privileged to participate in FlightPlan: Strategies for Recovery, a live broadcast event that explored strategies to accelerate recovery and future growth in light of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Sequels notoriously have a lot to live up to. For every Godfather II, there’s a Star Wars: Attack of the Clones.
But six months on from the first Flightplan broadcast event in April, the latest edition did not disappoint. Early indications show that over 3,500 viewers, from some 90 countries tuned in hear 50 industry voices exchange views on the present and future of aviation.
Philip Balaam, President of Inmarsat Aviation, commented: “FlightPlan is a unique platform that brings together the aviation industry during this difficult time to share views, exchange best practice and strategise for the future. Together, we reflected on the challenges faced in 2020, the progress made to date, and of crucial importance, the trends that will guide the next phase of recovery.
“While many hurdles still lie ahead, the single most overwhelming sentiment expressed during FlightPlan yesterday was one of optimism,” he added.
The focus of my segment was the importance of digital technologies and their coalesce under the banner of ‘connected technologies’. Once siloed, the likes of AI, cloud computing, data analytics and other disciplines are bringing operational efficiency and agility to airlines as they seek prepare for the industry’s recovery. Importantly, these tools and platforms are not just tackling the challenges of the pandemic but are preparing the industry as a whole for the new landscape air travel is expected to create.
The day also saw the launch of Inmarsat’s ‘Passenger Confidence Tracker’, the world’s largest survey of airline passengers since the pandemic began. The January/February issue of Inflight will delve into this survey in more detail – so stay tuned.
A huge thank you to APEX and Inmarsat for hosting the broadcast, and for all the contributors for taking part.
You can watch FlightPlan on-demand via https://flightplan.wavecast.io/ now.
