Adam Smith PEOPLE
PEOPLE Three questions for...
... Adam Smith, senior airline relations manager, Routes
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What are your immediate priorities?
As I look after airline relationships throughout
Asia Pacific, Middle East and North Africa, ensuring Routes Africa is a success has been my immediate priority. It’s being held in Tenerife and is the first time a Routes event for that region is not being held on the continent. However, while the island is not
part of the African mainland, Tenerife is geographically closer to it than to Europe, as it is a 45-minute flight from Morocco. The Canaries are also a big exporter to Africa and exports were worth ¤227.42 million in 2014. We have had a strong run in to the event and we have received confirmation from airlines including Ethiopian Airlines, fastjet and South African Airways that they are attending, as well as out-of-region carriers such as Norwegian, Iberia and Germania.
At the same time, I also need to
keep an eye on our flagship event, World Routes, which is taking place in Chengdu in September. We have some major Asian airlines already signed up, including Air China and Air India, while Delta Air Lines, easyJet and Turkish Airlines are all coming from further afield. With more than 300 airlines expected, it should be another record year and we will continue working right up to it to ensure that all the world’s main airlines are there.
Which airlines are the most important to the success of Routes?
Quite frankly, all airlines are
important to the success of Routes. Our sales team does a great job attracting a wide variety of airports, so it is important that we do the same and recognise all the different sectors and the impact they can make on an airport’s business. As a result, we will target low-cost, regional, leisure, cargo and flag carriers, knowing that a good mix of them will ensure a successful event. That said, there are carriers that have a larger demand than others, so it is important that we attract them to Routes events in recognition of the number of passengers they can bring to any airport. We also have to take account of the individual regional needs of any event. For instance, while we want to see as many airlines as possible from around the world attend Routes Africa, there are ones we will always specifically target. We will, for example, want Africa’s main airlines, so it is good that names such as Ethiopian Airlines and South African Airways have signed up. The Middle East is a key market for global aviation, so to be able to say Emirates Airline, Etihad Airways and Qatar Airways will again be attending World Routes is also very pleasing.
“I’m very pleased to be helping to drive forward such an important global industry, which connects people and places”
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What are the best and worst things about your job?
The best part of my
job is that it enables me to travel and experience different locations and cultures that otherwise I wouldn’t be able to do. I have now been to more than 30 Routes events and visited countries including Malaysia, South Korea, the Seychelles, Uganda, Swaziland and many others throughout Asia Pacific and Europe. I realise I am in a privileged position to be able to travel extensively.
Adam relishes meeting aviation’s interesting
characters the world over
But travel is not simply about the
places you go to – it is also about the people you meet there, and luckily aviation has more than its fair share of interesting characters. I’m also very pleased to be promoting and helping drive forward such an important global industry, which connects people and places, whether it’s for business or leisure. Aviation has a massive impact on the world’s economy and by working for Routes, I know I can help drive it forward. The worst part of the job is also the travel. Flight cancellations, delays, jet lag and spending a lot of time away from my family and friends can be tough.
Routes hosts:
Adam Smith: gearing up for Routes Africa
See the full list of 2016 Routes hosts and venues online at
routesonline.com/events routesonline.com ROUTES NEWS 2016 ISSUE 4 47
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