Routes Americas 2026

Rio de Janeiro, Brazil • ExpoRio CIDADE NOVA
• 3 – 5 March 2026

Iconic Networking Evening location revealed

The Routes Americas 2026 Networking Evening will take place at the iconic Copacabana Palace hotel in Rio de Janeiro.

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Official Hotels now available to book

There is a stunning selection of accommodation available at exclusive booking rates for Routes Americas delegates, including the Fairmont and the Grand Mercure Rio de Janeiro.

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Reconnect in Rio de Janeiro

As the gateway to tourism in Latin America, Rio de Janeiro's international recognition attracts millions of visitors annually.

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Conference Programme Speakers

Steven Small

Director Events, Routes

Participating Talks and Sessions

Robert Kokonis

President & Managing Director, AirTrav-ICF

A person in a suit and tie Description automatically generatedRobert Kokonis holds 34 years of corporate & consulting experience in the aviation and travel sectors. He currently heads Toronto-based AirTrav Inc., a boutique full-spectrum advisory founded in 2001 which engages clients at the senior executive and board levels at airlines, airports, governments, crown corporations and regulators. In 2013, Rob reached an agreement with ICF to become their Canadian affiliate partner.

He has also worked with trade groups like the Air Transport Association of Canada (ATAC), National Airlines Council of Canada (NACC), the International Air Transport Association (IATA), and the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO).

Robert has worked in over 50 countries on all continents, engaging with every airline type such as major network, low cost, charter, regional and cargo, with clients ranging from start-up and re-launch to legacy/flag carrier, along with non-scheduled aviation firms operating a wide-range of fixed wing and rotary wing aircraft. In the airport sector his work has ranged from regional to major global facilities.

He provides strategic guidance on air service development, assets, business planning, climate change, economic impact assessments, financial diligence, FBOs, fleet evaluation, fuel management, GDS and NDC distribution, inflight service/CX, labour, loyalty programs, MROs, network planning, operations, pricing and revenue management, regulatory affairs, risk management hedging, route profitability, and tourism.

He also performs due diligence for banks, governments, private equity, and law firms for M&A transactions, investments and bankruptcies, successfully supporting numerous major million-dollar transactions.

Prior to consulting, Robert worked in progressively senior management roles for Air Canada, Finnair and Royal Jordanian, travel management leader Carlson Wagonlit Travel, for the Worldspan global distribution system, and as CEO of CharterHub, a travel tech player in air charters. In his last position at Air Canada, he managed finances for the carrier’s flight operations and operations control divisions.

Robert frequently appears with A-list media outlets such as BBC, Bloomberg-BNN, Canadian Business, Canadian Press, CBC, CNBC, CTV, Financial Post, Global, Globe & Mail, Hill Times, La Presse, Maclean’s, SKIES, Travel Press, Travel Weekly, and Wall Street Journal.

He speaks at leading conferences, particularly Airline Economics events in New York, Dublin, and Singapore, along with events in other major locations around the world. Robert holds an International M.B.A. (Honours, Finance) from the Helsinki School of Economics in Finland, and is based in Toronto, Canada.

Participating Talks and Sessions

Celso Ferrer

Chief Executive Officer, GOL Linhas Aéreas

Participating Talks and Sessions

David Casey

Editor in Chief, Routes

Participating Talks and Sessions

Britany O'Bannon

Co-Founder, DOB AI

Britany O'Bannon is the Co-Founder of DOB AI, where she leverages artificial intelligence to transform airline business intelligence. She specializes in using AI to simplify complex analysis, helping carriers rapidly identify growth opportunities in secondary and underserved markets. With a comprehensive background spanning aviation strategy, risk management, and enterprise technology leadership, Britany bridges the gap between legacy planning and modern innovation. She also serves on the General Assembly AI Future Skills Board.

 

Participating Talks and Sessions

Priya Karnani

VP Network Development & Scheduling, Arajet

Participating Talks and Sessions

Majid Khan

Chief Executive Officer, Saudi Air Connectivity Program

Participating Talks and Sessions