GENEVA, Switzerland – The International Air Transport Association (IATA) announced that the 2019 World Financial Symposium (WFS) will focus on the theme of shaping a sustainable future together: airlines, IATA and partners.
The world’s airlines are expected to report their 10th consecutive annual profit in 2019, but earnings are being squeezed. In June IATA downgraded its outlook to a net profit of $28 billion or just $6.12 per passenger, reduced from an estimated $30 billion in 2018.
“The airline industry is still earning money and we are expecting to deliver a return on invested capital for a record fifth year, but just barely. Rising fuel prices, slowing demand growth, trade wars and geopolitical tensions all are challenging the industry’s fortunes. Airline financial organizations will play a vital role in helping to carry the business through this turbulence.
WFS provides a forum for finance professionals across the aviation value chain, to discuss and debate the correct strategies to achieving a sustainable future,” said Aleks Popovich, IATA’s senior vice president, financial and distribution services.
The WFS will be held in Miami, 25-26 September 2019. The opening plenary will feature an address by Anko Van der Werff, chief executive officer (CEO) of Avianca, on the vision for the future. An invitation-only high impact seminar will examine the top challenges for sustainability with a focus on the environment and why it is now a CFO issue.
Concurrent session tracks will look at developments in payment, financial strategy and risk, covering topics such as:
- Fraud risk and prevention
- Trade war nationalism impact on the corporate treasury
- Payment strategies to improve the passenger experience
- New card and non-card payment solutions
- Credit risk management
- PSD2 and strong customer authorization: what’s next?
- Cryptocurrency and banks: a new era?
- Countdown to the end of LIBOR
In addition, the innovation Jam session will return for a third year and the Meet the Experts session makes its second appearance. As has become a tradition, the Global Fraud Prevention Event will be held just prior to WFS.
