Cairns to host 2025 CAPA Airline Leader Summit Australia Pacific

Cairns is set to host one of Australia’s most lauded tourism and aviation summits, the 2025 CAPA Airline Leader Summit Australia Pacific, presented in partnership with Cairns Airport.

The event takes place at the Cairns Convention Centre on 31 July and 1 August, bringing leaders from the aviation, tourism, and hospitality industries to the region for a series of strategic sessions aimed at shaping the future of air travel. It also marks the first time the event has ever been held outside a capital city.

Speakers at the summit include high-ranking executives from Australian and international airlines, as well as senior government leaders and subject matter experts from various air travel sectors.

Cairns Airport chief executive officer, Richard Barker, said hosting CAPA in Cairns would present invaluable opportunities for industry, local business and the wider region.

“Hosting CAPA will enable us to welcome the cream of the aviation and tourism sectors to Cairns, the northern gateway to Australia,” Barker said. “We will be front and centre as our industry’s top executives examine where we’re headed, with insights into local and global trends.

“We can also showcase why Cairns and the Great Barrier Reef remain iconic drawcards for international visitors and why Cairns Airport is working closely with our partners to increase access options to Tropical North Queensland. Hosting CAPA will give us access to a wide range of airlines, right here at home, which is a rare and unique opportunity.”

The summit combines industry presentations, keynotes, high-level interviews and panel discussions to examine a range of topics, including regional airline capacity, consumer and passenger spending, changes in thinking around tourism and the influence of government regulations on travel.

“We are delighted to be bringing CAPA’s home summit to Cairns in 2025,” CAPA Centre for Aviation events director, Caludia Kunz, said. “This is a pivotal event in our calendar and will serve as a key platform for exploring the developments and strategic challenges facing the aviation and tourism sectors in this region. Providing a platform for industry leaders of this calibre to come together and share their insights leads to real, actionable intelligence that shapes the future of air travel.”

“Cairns stands as a vital gateway to Queensland, with 448,000 inbound seats scheduled for Cairns Airport during 2025,” Tourism and Events Queensland’s Ollie Philpot said. “The increasing number of new flight routes to the region is a clear testament to its growing importance on the global stage.

“In April, Jetstar will launch services from Christchurch, and Fiji Airways will begin flights from Nadi. Additionally, major hub carriers like Singapore Airlines and Cathay Pacific operate direct flights to Cairns, enhancing Queensland’s accessibility for visitors from Asia, Europe, and the UK.

“Now is the perfect time for Cairns and the Tropical North to be hosting this important annual conference, to continue momentum and explore route development and aviation industry issues with partners from across our region.”

Tourism Tropical North Queensland chief executive officer, Mark Olsen, said hosting the 2025 CAPA Airline Leader Summit Australia Pacific would demonstrate to key decision makers from around the world why Cairns should be their next aviation route.

“Aviation connectivity is critical to the future of Cairns as a successful ecotourism destination and, once the delegates see for themselves what our region offers, it will add to the compelling arguments presented to them to work with Cairns Airport and TTNQ,” Olsen said. “TNQ is sponsoring this conference as a strategic event for the destination’s future that will also deliver an immediate $1.2 million economic boost while the 400 delegates are in region.”

Cairns Convention Centre general manager, Janet Hamilton, expressed her pride in hosting the prestigious conference for the first time outside a capital city.

“We are thrilled to host the CAPA Leader Summit at the Cairns Convention Centre,” Hamilton said. “Our world-class venue, equipped with cutting-edge technology, state-of-the-art facilities, and a proven track record of successfully delivering international conferences, demonstrates the Centre and region’s ability to host this high profile event. We look forward to welcoming delegates from around the globe and highlighting the unique appeal of Cairns as a premier conference destination.”