CAPA Americas Aviation and LCCs Summit held in Puerto Rico for 1st time
More than 200 airline leaders from across North America, Latin America, and the Caribbean, as well as global aviation experts, regulators, tourism entities, and aviation technology and distribution innovators are convening in Puerto Rico for the first time for the CAPA Americas Aviation and LCCs Summit.
This week’s summit will address the latest developments, challenges, and strategic issues, as well as include a fresh injection of debate on the evolution of low-cost carriers (LCCs).
Representatives from 27 airlines, including American Airlines, Delta, Viva Air, JetBlue, Frontier, and Spirit, among others, descended on the event that ends today to participate in interviews, engage in panel discussions, and present master classes.
One of the speakers will be Barry Biffle, president of Frontier Airlines, a carrier that made headlines in 2021 with its bid to acquire rival Spirit Airlines in a $2.4 billion deal. That deal has been somewhat sidetracked by a rival bid from JetBlue earlier this year, offering $3.7 billion — which Spirit has rejected.
Also on deck is Felix Antelo, president of Viva Air Group, which late last year got the approval to establish air routes between its home country of Colombia, to Puerto Rico, as News is my Business reported.
“The celebration of this meeting on the island is one of vital importance for tourism, both locally and globally, since it offers participants the opportunity to reconnect personally with their business partners in the industry and to create new alliances, in addition to that it will also show them how beautiful our destination is and will promote a boost to our economy,” said Puerto Rico Tourism Co. Executive Director Carlos Mercado.
“Similarly, this represents an ideal opportunity to raise awareness of Puerto Rico’s potential as a travel destination and access hub in the Caribbean for airlines,” he said.
Last year, 4.8 million arrivals to Puerto Rico were registered, while demand for accommodations exceeded 2019 statistics by 12%. Hotels generated $100 million in taxes, while short-term rentals accounted for $55 million. In addition, non-resident visitors spent $4.5 billion in Puerto Rico, which represents an increase of 11% in comparison to before the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, Gov. Pedro Pierluisi said in his address during the event.
