Qatar Civil Aviation Authority to host the Leaders in Aviation Awards

Regional and global airlines, airports and civil aviation authorities have been invited to put their names forward for the Leaders in Aviation awards supported by the Qatar Civil Aviation Authority

H.E. Abdul Aziz Al Noaimi, chairman of Qatar Civil Aviation Authority announced today that the awards will be held as part of the Doha Aviation Summit on the October 30th 2010 in Doha, Qatar.

Doha Aviation Summit, hosted by the Qatar Civil Aviation Authority is taking place on October 30th till November 1st 2010 in Grand Hyatt Hotel, Doha. Under the theme of ‘vision for limitless skies’, the summit will host over 200 influential leaders and representatives from international airports, airlines, civil aviation authorities, and government bodies discussing the key challenges facing the industry and strategies for unified growth and development.

The Leaders in Aviation Awards recognise and honour individuals and organisations for their distinctive contributions made to the aviation industry. The judging panel comprises of industry experts representing international aviation media, associations, and leading industry practitioners. The awards highlight success stories and a broad spectrum of innovations from airports, airlines, and related organisations. Recognitions include corporate achievements, strongest individual efforts, and the compelling community efforts.

One of the most coveted categories for the year is the Airport of the Year Award 2010 that invites nominations from airports that have strong business models and have played a positive role in promoting; safety and security, innovation, airline partnerships, adoption of new technology and practices, and economic development. Other award categories include:

· Airline of the year award 2010
· Low cost carrier of the year 2010
· Green initiative of the year by an airport 2010
· Green initiative of the year by an airline 2010
· Fastest fleet expansion of the year 2010
· Best airport and airline partnership of the year 2010

The awards ceremony is a part of the welcome reception to take place on October 30th in the evening which will be then followed by the two day interactive discussion.

Amongst others, some of the key issues to be discussed during the the Doha Aviation Summit include:
· Investigation of the volcanic ash disruption and its impact on aviation organisations outside of Europe.
· The formulation and implementation of a sustainable regulatory framework as we approach COP16.
· ATC route management in sync with the Middle East airport expansion projects through hub growth.
· The human resource challenge in the Arab world.
· Financial risks and management challenges.
· Effective integration of alternative fuel research and implementation for mass transport in line with the international reforms and rising fuel costs.

Following the support of Mr. Abdul Wahab Teffaha, Secretary General, Arab Air Carriers Organisation, the aviation experts who will be discussing these key issues during the three day summit include:

· Mr. Graham Lake, Director General, CANSO
· Mr. Jonathan Moor, Director General for Civil Aviation, UK Department for Transport
· Dr. Brian Pearce, Chief Economist, IATA
· Mr. Akbar Al Baker, CEO, Qatar Airways
· Dr. Tidu Maini, Executive Chairman, Qatar Science And Technology Park , Qatar Foundation
· Mr. Patrick KY, Executive Director, SESAR Joint Undertaking
· Mr. Aaron Heslehurst, News Anchor & Presenter, BBC World Television
· Mr. Adel Ali, CEO, Air Arabia
· Dr. Charles E. Schlumberger, Principal Air Transport Specialist, World Bank
· Mr. Stefan Pichler, CEO, Jazeera Airways
· Mr. Abdul Wahab Teffaha, Secretary General, AACO
· Dr. Sani Sener, CEO, TAV Group
· Dr. Temel Kotil, President & CEO, Turkish Airlines
· Dr Majdi Sabri, VP – MENA, IATA
· Dr Othman Al Khoury, GM, Gulf Center for Aviation Studies – ADAC
· Mr Curtis Grad, CEO, Airport International Group, Jordan
· Capt Chris Schroder, Head - CSR, energy and environment, Qatar Airways
· Dr. Fred Prata. Senior Scientist. Climate and Atmosphere Department. Norwegian Institute for Air Research
· Mr. Andrew Parker, Senior Vice President, Public Affairs, International Affairs, Industry Affairs, Environment Affairs, Emirates Airlines amongst others.