CUR concludes DCCA’s ‘A Flight to the Future’ Conference with spectacular blood plasma transportation via drone
Willemstad, November 9, 2023 – DCCA’s Flight to the Future conference, hosted by CUR, continued with unwavering enthusiasm in a full ballroom of Curaçao Marriott Beach Resort on Tuesday (second and last day), further focusing on the International Sustainable Air Transportation through its elaborate program. A much-anticipated press conference with the CEOs of DCCA took place on Wednesday, November 8, 2023, where CUR added a ground-breaking demonstration on the Future of Aviation, to completely wrap up this grand event in a grand way.
“We have discussed and shown the endless possibilities. Innovation is unmissable and we will continue to pursue this in our daily business. This event was created by and for industry experts who know which topics are high on all our agendas. As the industry evolves, so does the way we need to see it, learn, and adapt as quickly as possible. We are excited with the outcomes of this conference and look forward to actioning soon on items discussed during this conference”, said Jonny Andersen, CEO of Curaçao Airport Partners, operator of CUR.
Participants enjoying the ongoing conference, were treated to a variety of sessions with local and international industry players as the conference progressed. International partner airlines JetBlue, KLM and TUI contributed to the conversation with their respective outlooks on the future through a panel discussion led by a IATA representative. The extensive day program also included a discussion with aircraft manufacturers Unified International, Ampaire, and Surf Air who focused on their development branch and the operations around this.
The results of a conducted research on the Dutch Caribbean inter-island connectivity were broadly elaborated on during a presentation and discussed further in a following Q&A session as this is a high priority for the six (6) member islands of DCCA.
Financial experts of renowned organizations Rijksdienst Caribisch Nederland, MCB and The Curaçao Financial Group N.V. also dived into the financial challenges airport operators are or could be confronted with during these times and in the future, while utility companies of some participating territories addressed common thoughts on alternative outlooks as they weighed into the program with a focus on their perspectives and expectations to what the future holds as important contributors to the aviation industry. Thus, a full program which left everyone satisfied with the high-level of content presented.
As mentioned initially, a press conference followed on Wednesday at the Jet Centre Curaçao. The CEOs gave a recap on the event, their personal takeaways, and their thoughts and what can be expected from DCCA as a whole. This event also counted on great media and stakeholders’ presence as CUR brought a surprising highlight; a blood plasma transportation via drone which left everyone in awe as it truly showed the Future of Aviation and what it holds and could mean for the islands.
This one-of-a-kind execution started in Otrobanda where the drone was equipped with the blood plasma and carefully transported all the way to the Jet Centre Curaçao at the airport. Present Ministers, Mr. Cijntje and Mr. Cooper joined Mr. Andersen to receive the drone and they gladly assisted in removing the blood from the drone to hand over to Mr. Felix Greving (Unitleider Technische Beheers Organisatie (TBO) of Fundashon Mariadal Bonaire). Mr. Sille, representative of the Blood Bank as well as invited industry partners and stakeholders for this historic moment.
Through this demonstration, CUR showed live, in immediate action, the endless possibilities through innovation when it comes to aviation and all that could be achieved in the very near future. This form of unmanned transportation of blood/blood plasma could be lifesaving and a gamechanger in the health industry of our territories. Transportation of pharmaceutical items could be done much faster when time is of the essence and could be a matter of life or death.
CUR looks back with great satisfaction on this successful edition of the Flight to the Future which it was honored to host and concludes with a special thanks to the entire team that organized this, but also to valued partners. A special thanks to Mrs. Krishna Doll-Oedjaghir, management of CATS, the operator of the Jet Centre Curaçao, for her warm hospitality in hosting the press conference and providing all support needed for a safe and seamless demo with all guests.