On 23 and 24 April 2026, Berlin will play host to the international aviation industry: Berlin Brandenburg Airport (BER), visitBerlin, and the Berlin and Cottbus Chambers of Industry and Commerce (IHK) will welcome the global aviation community to this year’s CAPA Airline Leader Summit. Top managers, executives and experts from around the world will travel to the capital to discuss trends, future issues and key challenges facing the industry.
“It is important for industry meetings such as the CAPA conference to be held in the capital region. This raises Berlin-Brandenburg’s profile within the global aviation community and enables us to showcase what the region has to offer,” says Aletta von Massenbach, CEO of Flughafen Berlin Brandenburg GmbH. “Experts from around the world are meeting in the capital to exchange views on key aviation issues – including many decision-makers from airlines, service providers and suppliers.”
Robert Rückel, Vice President of the Berlin Chamber of Industry and Commerce: “The fact that the international aviation industry is meeting in Berlin makes it clear: with BER, the capital region has the potential to develop into a high-performance European aviation hub. However, for this to happen, the political and regulatory framework needs to be right. Berlin’s economy relies on direct connections to the rest of the world. At the Berlin Chamber of Industry and Commerce, we will continue to work with our partners to promote connectivity.”
Jens Warnken, President of the Cottbus Chamber of Industry and Commerce (IHK): “The international CAPA conference in Berlin offers an excellent opportunity to once again make it clear to policy-makers that, as an aviation hub, Germany urgently needs tangible relief. The summit simultaneously highlights the dynamic development of the thriving Berlin-Brandenburg airport region. Since BER’s opening, impressive corporate investments have been made in the airport region – a clear sign of the existing potential. One thing is certain: Every new direct and long-haul route, as well as every additional airline, strengthens international connectivity, increases the location’s appeal, and creates sustainable growth and new jobs in the region.”
Burkhard Kieker, Managing Director of visitBerlin: “By way of the CAPA Airline Leader Summit, we are specifically targeting decision-makers at international airlines, thereby complementing our Connectivity Board initiatives this year. This is aimed at positioning Berlin as an attractive tourism and MICE venue, and highlighting the benefits of new flight connections to and from BER. Many airlines are currently rethinking their network planning in light of current geopolitical developments. This opens up new opportunities for Berlin in the medium to long-term for more direct international connections.”
Connectivity Board: BER, visitBerlin and Chambers of Industry and Commerce join Forces
The host of the CAPA conference in Berlin is the Connectivity Board – an alliance comprising BER Airport, visitBerlin, and the Berlin and Cottbus Chambers of Industry and Commerce (IHK). Since 2025, the initiative has been pooling regional resources to promote Berlin-Brandenburg as an aviation hub to airlines worldwide, thereby improving the capital region’s international connectivity. This is aimed at offering a wider range of connections to European cities and long-haul destinations from BER.
This year, we are particularly delighted about the new long-haul route from Air Canada, Canada’s largest airline, which will fly directly from Berlin to Montreal four times a week from 3 July 2026 to 11 October 2026.
