Our new recruit Airport Planner Jaime Castiblanques, pictured far left below, recently attended PTExpo 2024 for the first time. We asked him for his impressions of the world renowned airport terminal conference.
As part of my intense induction process at AiQ I was lucky enough to attend PTExpo in Frankfurt last week with our Head of Airport Planning Mevin Varghese, pictured far right below catching up with Marco Plarre from Jacobs.
The sheer size and variety of the stands and exhibitions at PTExpo were incredible and if it wasn’t for Mevin, who’s knowledge and experience of the aviation industry is second to none, I wouldn’t have known where to start! His explanations and insights into what each organisation does and how they differ and which markets they serve were invaluable. As were his industry contacts across all areas and markets of the aviation industry.
Joining AiQ I no longer look at the airport through the eyes of a passenger but through the eyes of someone who is now a part of it and all its processes, so I found it really interesting to see all the different processes and the infrastructure behind the passenger facing side of an airport. There are organisations that deal with even the most minute details, and competition is fierce. From lounge chairs and decoration to biometric data reading equipment, it was like seeing an airport broken down into all its parts. This has given me a much greater understanding of airport processes and operations individually and holistically, it was a great learning experience and one which will help me in my day to day client work at AiQ.
I would highly recommend PTExpo whether you are new to the industry or an experienced aviation professional like Mevin as we both enjoyed it and took away different learning points. Next year it’s in Madrid, my home country, and I’m sure it will be another great success. Finally, I would also recommend Frankfurt! We were lucky enough to be able to take some time to explore what is a lovely city packed with beautiful architecture.