International Airport Summit 2025 is pleased to welcome Laila Odina, CEO of Riga Airport as a speaker on this year's airport leaders keynote panel. Read on for a sneak preview on what to expect.
As airports manage rising passenger volumes, shifting traveller expectations and intensifying geopolitical uncertainty, leaders must find innovative ways to steer their organisations through turbulence. At this year’s International Airport Summit in Berlin, Laila Odina, CEO of Riga Airport, will join the keynote panel “Boardroom battlefield: how airport executives can lead through turbulence & growth.”
Odina will share how Riga Airport is balancing major long-term investments with immediate resilience measures in a particularly challenging operating environment. With a new terminal scheduled to open in 2029, Riga Airport is embarking on one of the most ambitious infrastructure projects in its history. Financing agreements are nearly finalised, with plans also underway for airport city development, including retail, hospitality and energy projects.
But alongside growth, Riga Airport is facing pressing challenges. Located on the EU’s eastern border with Russia and Belarus, the airport is navigating heightened geopolitical risks and economic pressures, including high inflation and cost-cutting demands as a 100% state-owned company. Earlier this year, Riga Airport experienced a drone attack, prompting a major investment in advanced detection and counter-drone technologies – placing resilience, security and operational continuity at the top of Odina’s agenda.
She will also highlight how Riga Airport is preparing for the future by updating its long-term strategy and master development plan, implementing a rebrand, and carefully planning technology investments to ensure the new terminal is equipped with future-ready passenger solutions.
“Resilience today means looking beyond traditional risks,” Odina explained. “It’s not just about safety or perimeter security anymore – it’s about being ready for challenges we may never have imagined, from energy independence to drone threats, while still driving forward development.”
Odina will join fellow CEOs from Sigrún Björk Jakobsdóttir, CEO of Isavia Regional Airports in Iceland, and Ricardo Hernández, CEO of CCR Airports in Brazil, in a candid discussion on how airport leaders are turning disruption into opportunity.
Don’t miss the chance to hear directly from Laila Odina and other global airport executives as they share their strategies for navigating uncertainty while keeping growth on track.
Register now for the International Airport Summit in Berlin to secure your place at this must-attend keynote discussion.
Topics
- Advanced air mobility
- Aviation security operations
- Capital projects & design
- CCR Aeroportos
- Digital strategy & transformation
- Europe
- International Airport Summit
- Isavia Regional Airports
- Laila Odiņa
- Non-aeronautical revenue
- Ricardo Hernández
- Safety management
- Sigrún Björk Jakobsdóttir
- Terminal operations
- Wayfinding & dwell
