Routes Americas 2026

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

Iconic Networking Evening location

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

Register Now View Networking Events

Official Hotels

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.

Register Now Book with HotelMap

Reconnect in Rio de Janeiro

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

Register Now Learn more about Rio

Conference Programme Speakers

Priya Karnani

VP Network Development & Scheduling, Arajet

Participating Talks and Sessions

Christina Cole

Senior Aviation Brand Strategist, Advance Aviation

Participating Talks and Sessions

Kayleigh Tarbet

Art Director, Advance Aviation

Participating Talks and Sessions

Pascal Bélanger

Senior Vice-President, Americas, Plaza Premium Group

Pascal leading the group’s commercial and operations success in the market including portfolio brands: Plaza Premium Lounge, Aerotel, Allways Meet and Greet service, as well as airport dining throughout Canada, United States and South America Pascal has over 17 years of experience in commercial and airport operations. He joins Plaza Premium after serving 12 years at Winnipeg Airports Authority (WAA) as the Executive Vice President - Airport and Commercial Operations. At WAA, he was responsible for all commercial activities including Air Service Development, Air Cargo as well as Real Estate and Concessions. Prior to WAA, Pascal joined Aeroport de Quebec Inc in 2004 as Director of Development & Communications and later served as President and Chief Operating Officer in 2006. During his tenure, he successfully provided strategic and operational leadership at Québec City Jean-Lesage International Airport. He also managed the planning and construction of the airport’s major project, the redevelopment of Québec City airport terminal which opened in 2008.

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

Vagner Proença Ricardo

Director, Head of Product Marketing, Embraer Commercial Aviation

Vagner Ricardo is the Head of Product Marketing for Embraer Commercial Aviation. He leads a team supporting all the Global Regional Sales offices with product marketing materials and technical information on Embraer's commercial aviation products and solutions.

With over 20 years at Embraer, Vagner began his career as a Product Development Engineer during the E-Jets program launch. He has since held various roles, including Sales Engineer for Executive Aviation, where he supported the sales of over 100 business jets, and Structured Finance, where he sourced financing solutions for airlines. Vagner also managed marketing and communication activities for commercial aircraft lessors.

Before his current position, Vagner was the Airline Strategy Director for the Americas, responsible for monitoring and anticipating regional trends in the airline industry and communicating Embraer's strategic solutions.

Vagner holds a master’s degree in Aeronautical Engineering from ITA (Instituto Tecnologico de Aeronautica) and an MBA in Finance Management from FGV (Fundação Getulio Vargas).

He lives in São Jose dos Campos with his wife and two sons. Outside of work, Vagner enjoys sports.

 

Participating Talks and Sessions

Jorge Villaseca

Aviation Business Manager, Lima Airport

Jorge Villaseca is the Aviation Business Manager at Lima Airport Partners, operator of Jorge Chávez International Airport in Lima. He leads the airport’s commercial aviation strategy, focusing on route development, airline partnerships, and traffic growth to strengthen Lima’s position as a regional hub.

With over 17 years of experience in the aviation and infrastructure sectors, including previous roles at IATA, Jorge brings a strong, hands-on perspective on airline–airport collaboration and sustainable network development in Latin America.

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

Steven Small

Director Events, Routes

Participating Talks and Sessions

David Casey

Editor in Chief, Routes

Participating Talks and Sessions