Cairns has been selected to host the 2025 CAPA Airline Leader Summit Australia Pacific, marking the first time the aviation and tourism conference will be held outside a major capital city.
The summit, slated for July 31 and August 1, will bring together industry titans at the Cairns Convention Centre to chart the future of air travel in the Australasia region. The event will also inject an estimated A$1.2 million (US$748,884) into the local economy.
Around 400 high-ranking executives from Australian and international airlines, government leaders, and industry experts, are expected to converge to discuss critical issues shaping the aviation landscape.
The summit’s agenda will feature industry presentations, keynotes, interviews, and panel discussions, addressing topics such as regional airline capacity, consumer spending, evolving tourism trends, and the impact of government regulations.
Tourism and Events Queensland’s Ollie Philpot highlighted Cairns’ growing global importance, citing the 448,000 inbound seats scheduled for Cairns Airport in 2025.
“In April, Jetstar will launch services from Christchurch, and Fiji Airways will begin flights from Nadi. Additionally, major hub carriers like Singapore Airlines and Cathay Pacific operate direct flights to Cairns, enhancing Queensland’s accessibility for visitors from Asia, Europe, and the UK.
“Now is the perfect time for Cairns and the Tropical North to be hosting this important annual conference, to continue the momentum and explore route development and aviation industry issues with partners from across our region,” he noted.
Mark Olsen, CEO of Tourism Tropical North Queensland, underscored the strategic significance of the summit for the region’s future.
“Aviation connectivity is critical to the future of Cairns as a successful ecotourism destination and, once the delegates see for themselves what our region offers, it will add to the compelling arguments presented to them to work with Cairns Airport and TTNQ,” he said.
