Asia Pacific¡¯s aviation industry leaders will gather in Brisbane this weekend (18-20 March) at the 16th annual Routes Asia to plan and negotiate new air services within the region. The event will bring together 950 delegates taking part in 2,350 meetings, with a diverse range of airline representatives from full service to regional low cost carriers travelling from all corners of the globe to take part in the event. Carriers in attendance include Qantas, China Southern Airlines, Norwegian, Korean Air, British Airways, Air China, IndiGo, and American Airlines. Around 96 airlines, 146 airports and 23 tourism authorities are expected in total. Routes Asia brings together airlines, airports and tourism authorities to develop air route networks. It moves to a new city every year to highlight the diverse aviation markets within Asia. The 2018 event is hosted by Brisbane Airport Corporation, Brisbane Marketing, Tourism Australia and Tourism Events Queensland at the Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre. Industry experts will explore the major challenges and opportunities for Asia Pacific¡¯s aviation sector in a series of conference sessions, including: how the region can deal with overcapacity, whether low-cost carriers can continue their phenomenal growth, safety and security concerns and protectionist barriers. High-profile speakers include: Gareth Evans, Chief Executive Officer, Jetstar Group; Rob Sharp, Group Executive, Virgin Australia Airlines; Nadda Buranasiri, Chief Executive Officer, Thai AirAsia X Co Ltd and Conrad Clifford, Regional Vice President for Asia Pacific, IATA and Annastacia Palaszczuk, Premier of Queensland. As the gateway to Queensland, Brisbane Airport is Australia¡¯s third-largest hub and recorded decade-high growth in international traffic in 2017, with many international carriers increasing the frequency of their services to accommodate the demand.