CAPA Aviation Awards for Excellence 2018

CAPA – Centre for Aviation is pleased to announce that entries are now open for nominations for the 16th annual CAPA Aviation Awards for Excellence.

CAPA has two sets of Awards – for the global industry and Asia Pacific specifically. This year there is a slight change in the format with the Asia Pacific awards taking place first, followed by the global awards.

Winners for the Asia Pacific awards will be announced at a gala dinner held in Singapore on 8-Nov-2018 as part of CAPA’s Asia Aviation and Corporate Travel Summit. Winners for the global awards will be announced at a gala dinner in Berlin on 27-Nov-2018 as part of CAPA’s World Aviation Outlook Summit.

Nominations are accepted for 10 award categories. Nominations from Asia Pacific and the Middle East will be considered for the Asia Pacific awards as well as for the global awards while nominations from other regions will be considered for the global awards. All winners of the Asia Pacific awards will be automatically considered for the global awards along with candidates from other regions.

Note that not all categories are awarded every year. CAPA’s panel of judges reviews nominations for all categories but some categories are skipped each year. Awards are only made if the judges determine there is a suitable winner.

The following categories will be awarded both in Singapore (CAPA Asia Pacific Awards) and in Berlin (CAPA Global Awards):

Airline/Airline Group of the Year
This is awarded to the airline that has been the biggest standout strategically during the year, has had the greatest impact on the development of the airline industry, has established itself as a leader, and provided a benchmark for others to follow.
Low Cost Airline of the Year
This is awarded to the low cost or hybrid airline that has been the biggest standout strategically, has established itself as a leader, has been most innovative, and provided a benchmark for others to follow.
Regional Airline of the Year
This is awarded to the regional airline that has been the biggest standout strategically, has established itself as a leader and demonstrated innovation in the regional aviation sector. (Note that this award is not limited to operators of regional aircraft; it is intended to recognise smaller airlines – fewer than 10 million annual passengers – that either do not operate any long haul services, or only operate limited long haul services.)
Airline Turnaround of the Year
This is awarded to an existing airline that has turned around through innovative strategic changes and/or a restructuring exercise.
Start-up Airline of the Year
This is awarded to the airline start-up that has been the most innovative and had the greatest impact on the industry.
Large Airport of the Year
This is awarded to the airport with over 30 million annual passengers that has been the biggest standout strategically, has established itself as a leader and done the most to advance the progress of the aviation industry.
Medium Airport of the Year
This is awarded to the airport with 10 to 30 million annual passengers that has been the biggest standout strategically, has established itself as a leader and done the most to advance the progress of the aviation industry.
Regional Airport of the Year
This is awarded to the regional airport that has been the biggest standout strategically, has established itself as a leader and done the most to advance the progress of the aviation industry. (Note that this award is not limited to airports without any long haul or intercontinental services; it is intended to recognise smaller airports – fewer than 10 million annual passengers – that rely primarily on short haul routes.)
Airline Executive of the Year
This is awarded to the airline executive who has had the greatest individual influence on the aviation industry, demonstrating outstanding strategic thinking and innovative direction for the growth of their business and the industry.
Innovation of the Year
This award recognises the airline, airport or supplier responsible for the most powerful innovation in the industry over the past year. The innovation – which could be customer-facing, B2B, efficiency-related or a new marketing product – must have been a new standout, and established the company as a market leader in the product or process.

To submit a proposal:
Please provide full information about your company/organisation, executive or innovation, with detailed documentary support. Please ensure that the specific criteria set out under each award heading are clearly addressed.

Nominations must be signed off by the CEO or President of the company/organisation involved.

Where appropriate, proposals for more than one award category can be submitted. Only nominations received by 7 July 2018 will be entertained. Submissions should be sent by email to Brendan Sobie, CAPA Chief Analyst at: bsobie@centreforaviation.com

About the judging process:
There will be two independent panels of judges for Asia Pacific and global awards. The judges will review the nominations, which are received from industry as well as from CAPA analysts. The world’s airports and airlines are reviewed constantly through the year by CAPA’s analyst and data teams. The decisions of CAPA’s judging panels will be final.

To review prior year winners refer to the CAPA Awards for Excellence website.

Note that nominations are not accepted for the CAPA Legend Award. The Legend Award is an occasional award that is given to individuals that have stood out as making a substantial long term difference to the industry in which they work.

About the CAPA Awards for Excellence
CAPA's Aviation Awards for Excellence are intended to reward airlines and airports that are not only successful but have also provided industry leadership in adjusting to a new environment. At a time of industry upheaval, our winners are adopting strategies that offer new directions for others to take up.

The CAPA Awards for Excellence are not driven by customer surveys or sponsorship. They are independently researched by CAPA’s leading team of analysts and selected by an independent international eminent panel of judges.

Join us as we celebrate strategic excellence – Purchase your pass to the CAPA Aviation Awards for Excellence Gala Dinner on 27 November 2018
The CAPA Aviation Awards for Excellence is an excellent opportunity to celebrate those individuals that are not only successful but at the forefront of change. Delegates can purchase tickets to the Awards Gala Dinner only or a pass inclusive of the Summit day sessions and Awards Gala Dinner. Corporate Tables are also available. Corporate Tables include 10 dinner passes, a table reservation towards the front of the room and branding. Gather your team and celebrate this glittering event! View dinner packages here.

CAPA presents two sets of Award for Excellence, each with eight award categories.

(i) the Global industry: Winners for the global awards will be announced at a Gala Dinner as part of the CAPA World Aviation Outlook Summit on 27 November;

(ii) Asia Pacific: Winners for the Asia Pacific awards will be announced at a Gala Dinner to be held in Singapore on 8 November as part of CAPA’s Asia Aviation & Corporate Travel Summit.

These awards are regarded as the pre-eminent awards for strategic excellence in aviation. Candidate organisations worldwide are invited to submit information about themselves, along with their justification towards being rewarded for their performance over the past year. As appropriate, entries will be entertained for more than one category.

Note that there are two awards for each category: one for Asia Pacific (including the Middle East) and one for the world. Candidates from Asia-Pacific can enter both and will be judged separately, as there will be separate judging panels for the Asia Pacific and global awards.

Also note that nominations are accepted for all eight categories, but not every category is awarded every year. The judging panels will determine whether there is a suitable winner for each category.

This year's Global industry categories include:

CAPA Airline of the Year
This is awarded to the airline that has been the biggest standout strategically during the year, has had the greatest impact on the development of the airline industry, has established itself as a leader, and provided a benchmark for others to follow.

CAPA Low Cost Airline of the Year
This is awarded to the low cost or hybrid airline that has been the biggest standout strategically, has established itself as a leader, has been most innovative, and provided a benchmark for others to follow.

CAPA Regional Airline of the Year
This is awarded to the regional airline that has been the biggest standout strategically, has established itself as a leader and demonstrated innovation in the regional aviation sector. (Note that this award is not limited to operators of regional aircraft; it is intended to recognise smaller airlines – fewer than 10 million annual passengers – that either do not operate any long haul services, or only operate limited long haul services.)

CAPA Start-up or Airline Turnaround of the Year
This is awarded to the airline start-up that has been the most innovative and had the greatest impact on the industry; or an existing airline that has turned around through innovative strategic changes and/or a restructuring exercise.

CAPA Airport of the Year
This is awarded to the airport that has been the biggest standout strategically, has established itself as a leader and done the most to advance the progress of the aviation industry.

CAPA Regional Airport of the Year
This is awarded to the regional airport that has been the biggest standout strategically, has established itself as a leader and done the most to advance the progress of the aviation industry. (Note that this award is not limited to airports without any long haul or intercontinental services; it is intended to recognise smaller airports – fewer than 10 million annual passengers – that rely primarily on short haul routes.)

CAPA Airline Executive of the Year
This is awarded to the airline executive who has had the greatest individual influence on the aviation industry, demonstrating outstanding strategic thinking and innovative direction for the growth of their business and the industry.

CAPA Innovation of the Year
This newly renamed category recognises the airline, airport or supplier responsible for the most powerful innovation in the industry over the past 18 months. The innovation – which could be customer-facing, B2B, efficiency-related or a new marketing product – must have been a new standout, and established the company as a market leader in the product or process.

About the judging panel:
Established in 1990, CAPA – Centre for Aviation is the leading provider of independent aviation market intelligence, analysis and data services, covering worldwide developments.

The CAPA Aviation Awards for Excellence have recognised strategic leadership in the aviation industry since 2002. The awards are not driven by customer surveys or sponsorship. They are independently researched by CAPA and Heidrick & Struggles and selected by an independent international panel of judges.

To submit a proposal:
Nominations for the 2018 awards will be open shortly. To submit a proposal you will be required to provide full information about your company or executive, with detailed documentary support setting out why the company should be considered for a CAPA Award for Excellence as per the specific 2018 criteria which will be announced shortly. Nominations must be signed off by the CEO or President of the company involved.

For more information contact Brendan Sobie bsobie@centreforaviation.com