Bogotá to Host IATA’s Wings of Change Aviation Industry Event

The International Air Transport Association (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 main 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 along with other prominent CEOs of airlines from the region, including:

• Roberto Alvo – CEO, LATAM Airlines Group
• Pedro Heilbron – CEO, Copa Airlines
• Estuardo Ortiz – CEO, JetSMART Airlines
• Adrian Neuhauser – CEO, Abra Group
• Erika Zárate Bahamón – CEO, LATAM Airlines Colombia

In line with the conference’s goal of developing solutions along the aviation value chain, the list of speakers is also composed of representatives of various industry stakeholders, such as:

• 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
• Rafael Echevarne – Director General, ACI-LAC
• Natalí Leal – General Manager, OPAIN
• Victoria Platt – Vice President, Airline Strategy and 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 all of Latin America and the Caribbean. The sector supports more than 8.3 million jobs and generates an economic contribution of about $240 billion USD to GDP (2023). Estimates indicate that these figures will almost double by 2043, reaching 15 million jobs and a contribution of $500 billion USD to GDP.

Bogotá was selected to host this event due to the growing relevance of the Colombian air market. In 2023, the air transport value chain contributed $15.5 billion USD to GDP, representing 4.3% of Colombia’s total GDP, in addition to generating 921,000 jobs.

Photo credit: IATA.