Routes Europe Opens Amidst Global Open Skies Debate

MANCHESTER, England, April 9, 2015 /PRNewswire/ --

450 airlines and airports gather in Aberdeen for Europe's largest route development event  

Routes Europe 2015, the leading route development forum in Europe, will open this weekend with over 1,200 delegates to discuss where airlines will fly in the future. One of the largest civil aviation events of the year, Routes Europe 2015 will take place at the Aberdeen Exhibition and Conference Centre (AECC), in Aberdeen, Scotland on 12-14 April, hosted by Aberdeen City and Aberdeenshire councils. It is the first time that the event is being held in the UK.

Routes Europe will bring together around 350 airports, 100 airlines and 45 tourism authorities as well as high-level policy-makers and aviation stakeholders to develop new air services to, from and within Europe. All of Europe's major network and low-cost carriers will attend as well as leading global airlines such as Etihad Airways and China Southern.  

Speaking ahead of the official opening on Sunday, Cabinet Secretary for Infrastructure, Investment and Cities, Keith Brown, said: "Hosting Routes Europe 2015 will give Scotland a fantastic opportunity to showcase itself to airlines from across the globe. We want to attract more direct international flights and events like this allow us to promote Scotland as a great place to visit and an ambitious, forward-looking country that's keen to do business with international neighbours."

Carol Benzie, Managing Director of the host city's airport, added: "Aberdeen International Airport is delighted to support the Routes Europe 2015 conference and looks forward to welcoming delegates to the city. The conference is an essential forum for influential professionals within the aviation industry and we aim to not only promote the excellent opportunities from the airport itself and show decision makers that Aberdeen is a top choice for both leisure and business travel, but also to showcase what the City and Shire has to offer."

The Chief Executive of VisitAberdeen, Steve Harris highlights Aberdeen's attractiveness to visitors: "Aberdeen is an exciting and beautiful city and we are proud to be able to welcome the airline industry to it.  We know that the hospitality they experience here will be second to none and we hope that it will persuade many to return, be it for business or pleasure; a conference or a round of golf with a whisky or two."

Mike Cantlay, Chairman of VisitScotland, said: "To be the first ever UK host of the Routes Europe conference is a real coup for Aberdeen and provides a fantastic opportunity to raise the profile of the city's tourism offering, as well as that of Scotland as a whole. If we want to continue attracting visitors to Scotland it is important we make it as easy as possible for them to get here. The Routes Europe conference is a chance for those within the aviation industry to come together, and develop future business opportunities to, from and within Europe."

Katie Bland, Director Routes, UBM EMEA, stated: "The past 70 years of increasingly open skies have brought tremendous benefits to passengers, airlines and society at large. The high turnout at Routes Europe indicates that the aviation and tourism industries want to continue on this successful path. Increasingly the global economy is an aviation economy. Air services are the lifelines of a modern economy, and one of the biggest assets of a city or region."

Routes Europe 2015 will officially open on Sunday with the hard hitting Strategy Summit. Around 15 high-level speakers from Europe and beyond will provide their insights into "the changing skies of Europe", and what the fast expansion of low-cost carriers and the Gulf airlines mean for Europe's legacy carriers. The focus of the global debate on the future of air travel is currently on Europe. The continent's response to the multiple challenges to its network carriers will shape the international air transport debate for years to come.  

Further information about Routes Europe can be found here.

The Routesonline news section will be updated with breaking news stories throughout the event.

Notes to Editors 

About Routes 

• Routes organises world-renowned airline and airport networking events through its regional and global Route Development Forums. Each year, there is one global event and one regional event in Asia, Africa, Europe, the Americas and CIS respectively. http://www.routesonline.com

• Routes was founded in 1995 as part of the Manchester UK‐based ASM Ltd., a consultancy specialising in the field of route development for airports. http://www.asm-global.com. Routes and ASM are part of the UBM EMEA division of UBM plc.

• UBM EMEA connects people and creates opportunities for companies across five continents to develop new business, meet customers, launch new products, promote their brands and expand their markets.  Through premiere brands such as MD&M, CPhI, IFSEC, TFM&A, Cruise Shipping Miami, the Concrete Show, the Routes portfolio of events, Airport Cities and many others, UBM EMEA exhibitions, conferences, awards programs, publications, websites and training and certification programs are an integral part of the marketing plans of companies across more than 20 industry sectors.

About UBM plc 

• UBM plc is a global events-led marketing services and communications company.  We help businesses do business, bringing the world's buyers and sellers together at events and online, as well as producing and distributing news and specialist content.  Our 5,500 staff in more than 30 countries are organised into expert teams which serve commercial and professional communities, helping them to do business and their markets to work effectively and efficiently.
• For more information, go to http://www.ubm.com; follow us on Twitter at @UBM_plc to get the latest UBM corporate news; follow @UBM for news from all UBM's businesses; follow @UBM for a flavour of UBM from selected members of UBM's Twitterati.

Follow us on twitter: @Routesonline, @TheHUBRoutes, @VictoriaRoutes, @NLPROU, @airlineroute