Airport Cities Opens in Kuala Lumpur

The 13th Airport Cities Conference and Exhibition, a global event for the creation and development of airport cities, has opened in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Hosted by Malaysia Airports and supported by ACI World, UKTI, CIDB Malaysia, Ministry of Tourism and Culture Malaysia, Malaysia Convention & Exhibition Bureau and Visit Malaysia, Airport Cities 2014 has attracted some high level speakers to its thought-provoking programme.

Speakers include; Tan Sri Bashir Ahmad, Managing Director, Malaysia Airports Holdings Berhad (MAHB), David Fei, President and CEO, Taoyuan International Airport Corporation, Atty. Arnel Casanova, President, Bases Conversion Development Authority, The Philippines, Tri S. Sunoko, President, Angkasa Pura II, S G K Kishore, Chief Executive Officer, GMR Airports - New Delhi and Hyderabad International Airports and Patrick Ong CEO, Macau International Airport amongst others.

Adrian Newton, Group Director – Transport and Technology, UBM Live, said, “A unique element of attending this conference is the opportunity for attendees to observe first-hand a major aerotropolis in evolution. Maximising its highly lucrative location, Malaysia Airport’s KLIA Aeropolis plan strives to maximise Malaysia’s unique position in the region, and turn the airport city into a destination in its own right. In addition to learning about this airport-anchored urban economic region in the making, the conference programme will provide delegates with unique insights into some of the most exciting and innovative airport city and aerotropolis models from around the globe.”

Some of the conference sessions include; Introducing the Emerging Asian Airport Cities; Understanding the Importance of Stakeholder Alignment and Governance in a successful Airport City Development; and The Role of Airport Cities in Urban Renewal and Economic Development, amongst other topical and engaging topics.

In addition to the conference and exhibition, which will form the core elements of Airport Cities 2014, delegates will also have the chance to experience some of the highlights of Kuala Lumpur firsthand with a dedicated site tour of klia2, Kuala Lumpur International Airport’s newest terminal and the world’s largest purpose-built terminal for low cost carriers. The tour will subsequently include a sightseeing trip to the garden city of Putrajaya, located in the heart of the lavish Multimedia Super Corridor (MSC) they will also be able to experience an F1 experience around the Sepang International Circuit.

Tan Sri Bashir Ahmad of MAHB said, “Malaysia Airports is pleased for Malaysia to be the first Asian country in the Southern hemisphere, and also the first Asian country outside China to host the event. This will be a great platform for us to discuss our own Aeropolis development and will generate business and commercial development opportunities related to expansion of airport cities. We hope all delegates will have a fruitful conference and gain extensive knowledge on airport cities.”

The 13th Airport Cities Conference and Exhibition is taking place 31 March - 2 April 2014.