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The 2026 Australian Aviation Summit has unveiled its first wave of speakers, headlined by the Minister for Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Local Government, the Hon Catherine King MP, as the event prepares to bring the nation’s aviation community together at a critical moment for the sector.
Scheduled for Thursday, 6 August at The Star, Sydney, the summit will convene leaders from airlines, airports, government, and the broader aviation ecosystem to tackle the defining challenges reshaping Australian aviation — from geopolitical volatility and supply chain disruption to sustainability targets, passenger trust, and the rapid advance of automation and digital infrastructure.
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- Daily news updates via our email bulletin
Joining Minister King on the speaker roster are Stephen Forshaw, Airbus Chief Representative for Australia, New Zealand and the Pacific; Andrew Warrender IAP, Executive General Manager Airlines & Governance at Newcastle Airport; Burcak Sezer, Executive General Manager People and Communications at Newcastle Airport; and Todd Chapman, Principal at Leading Edge Consulting.
The speaker lineup spans government, global aerospace manufacturing, regional airport leadership, and independent industry advisory — reflecting the summit’s commitment to cross-sector dialogue grounded in practical outcomes.
Steve Kuper, Lead — Defence & Aerospace at Momentum Markets, said the calibre of the opening speaker lineup underscores the significance of this year’s event.
“Having Minister King open proceedings sets the tone immediately — this is a summit where policy meets practice, and where the conversations happening in the room have a genuine bearing on the future direction of Australian aviation,” Kuper said.
“From Airbus’s regional perspective to the operational realities facing airports like Newcastle, this is exactly the kind of diverse, high-quality field that makes the Australian Aviation Summit the must-attend event on the industry calendar.”
The 2026 agenda is structured around four priorities: managing risk in a volatile global environment, progressing toward net zero, rebuilding passenger trust through improved reliability and transparency, and investing in the automation and infrastructure needed to support long-term growth.
Kuper added: “Australian aviation is navigating a genuinely complex operating environment right now. The speakers announced today represent the breadth of stakeholders who need to be in the room — and that’s what this summit delivers.”
Standard tickets are priced at $149 (excl. GST) and are available now. Further speaker announcements are expected in the coming weeks.
For more information and to register, visit australianaviation.com.au/australian-aviation-summit.
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