A4E Aviation Summit
This year’s Aviation Summit marks an important milestone for Airlines 4 Europe (A4E), celebrating ten years of representing the united voice of Europe’s leading airlines in Brussels and beyond. Bringing together airline CEOs, senior industry leaders, EU and national policymakers, and journalists, the Summit will reflect on a decade of A4E’s engagement in EU policymaking. This year’s edition also serves as a timely occasion to discuss an updated EU Aviation Strategy, more than ten years after its inception, at a moment when a changing global and geopolitical context is reshaping the challenges and opportunities facing European aviation.
Sponsors
Agenda
19 March 2026
09:35 - 10:20
CEO Press Conference
Accredited media only
10:30 - 11:00
Aviation Summit Registration
11:00 - 11:05
10 years of A4E: What’s next for Europe’s aviation strategy?
Ourania Georgoutsakou, Managing Director, Airlines for Europe
11:05 - 11:15
Aviation as an EU strategic priority
Apostolos Tzitzikostas, EU Commissioner for Sustainable Transport and Tourism
11:15 - 11:20
Cleared for take off: Benefits of aviation in the EU
Alexis Vafeades, Minister of Transport, Cyprus
11:20 - 11:50
10 years of A4E: How has the European airline industry evolved?
Willie Walsh, Founding Member, Airlines for Europe
Cynthia Ní Mhurchú, MEP, Renew Europe-Ireland
Carlos Muñoz, Founder and CEO, Volotea
Arjan Meijer, CEO, Embraer Commercial Aviation
Moderator:
Ourania Georgoutsakou, Managing Director, Airlines for Europe
11:50 - 12:10
Coffee break
12:10 - 12:55
A decade of the EU Aviation Strategy: Lessons learnt and what should the future strategy look like
Magda Kopczyńska, Director-General, DG MOVE
Armando Brunini, Board Member, ACI Europe
Michalis Kouveliotis, Deputy CEO, Aegean Airlines
Magdalena Jaworska-Mackowiak, CEO, Polish Air Navigation Agency
Lars Wagner, CEO, Airbus Commercial
Moderator:
Jacki Davis, Managing Director, Meade Davis
12:55 -13:55
Lunch
13:55 - 14:00
Cleared for take off: Benefits of aviation in the EU
Andreas Carlson, Minister for Infrastructure and Housing, Sweden
14:00 - 14:50
CEO Debate
Benjamin Smith, CEO, Air France-KLM Group
Kenton Jarvis, CEO, easyJet
Luis Gallego, CEO, IAG
Carsten Spohr, CEO, Lufthansa Group
Michael O’Leary, CEO, Ryanair Holdings
Moderator:
Richard Quest, International Business Correspondent, CNN
14:50 - 15:00
15:00 - 15:30