Forum Highlight | Synergy Panel: The Growth Alliance – Redefining Airline–Airport Value Creation

At the Low-Cost & Hybrid Carriers Asia Forum 2026, organized by Wernosa | Aviation Events & Intelligence Asia in Shanghai, senior representatives from airlines, airports, and aviation analytics came together to explore a key question:

How can airline–airport collaboration evolve from traditional coordination into a structured, performance-driven “growth alliance”?

The panel was moderated by Derek GAN, Business Development Director, China at Cirium, and featured Eric Fong, Director of Marketing Department at Macau International Airport Co., Ltd., Rafael Taizhanov, Head of Network Development and Scheduling at SCAT Airlines, and Vimal Kumar Rai, Managing Partner at Commercial Excellence Partners.

Supported by Cirium’s aviation analytics framework, the discussion focused on how operational performance, network stability, data-enabled coordination, and shared accountability are reshaping airline–airport partnerships.

The session opened with a simple question: each panelist was asked to define an ideal “growth alliance” in one word. The responses reflected the different priorities of airline network planning, airport operations, and commercial strategy.

From the airline perspective, Rafael Taizhanov, Head of Network Development and Scheduling at SCAT Airlines, highlighted the importance of reducing key “uncontrolled variables” that impact schedule reliability, network stability, and operational predictability.

From the airport perspective, Eric Fong, Director of Marketing Department at Macau International Airport, emphasized that collaboration must ultimately be measured through tangible operational and commercial outcomes, not alignment alone.

Building on these views, Vimal Kumar Rai, Managing Partner at Commercial Excellence Partners, noted that while On-Time Performance (OTP) remains a critical industry indicator, it should be viewed as a starting point rather than the final measure of success.

Vimal introduced a five-dimensional framework for airline–airport value creation, covering operational, customer, commercial, organizational, and resilience & recovery value. Within this structure, OTP functions as a system indicator, while long-term value emerges from the interaction across all dimensions.

A key theme throughout the session was the shift from intent to execution. The panel discussed how structured accountability can be built through phased milestones (30-day, 90-day, and 12-month horizons), standardized operational inputs, shared KPIs, and more defined coordination mechanisms.

The discussion also highlighted the importance of understanding delay propagation through selective but meaningful datasets, enabling more proactive system-wide coordination.

The shared conclusion was clear:

The future of airline–airport collaboration will be defined not only by cooperation, but by measurable outcomes, shared accountability, and sustained value creation across the aviation ecosystem.

Low-Cost & Hybrid Carriers Asia Forum 2027 Coming Soon!