FLOAT 2025 Roundtable: Bridging Generations to Shape Aviation and Tourism's Sustainable Future
Amid talent shortages, digital disruption, and the push for greener aviation, engaging the next generation is critical to the industry's long-term resilience and competitiveness. The Future Leaders of Aviation and Tourism (FLOAT) Youth Initiative Roundtable, held February 18, 2025, in Riyadh during the Arab Aviation Summit (AAS), delivered exactly that: a senior-level, invitation-only session convening youth councils, emerging professionals, HR leaders, academics, and industry executives.
Organized in partnership with the World Sustainable Development Fund (WSDF) with a support of Foundation of Innovative European Economy, the roundtable fostered interactive, solutions-oriented dialogue on attracting and empowering tomorrow's workforce.
Key discussion areas included:
Organized in partnership with the World Sustainable Development Fund (WSDF) with a support of Foundation of Innovative European Economy, the roundtable fostered interactive, solutions-oriented dialogue on attracting and empowering tomorrow's workforce.
Key discussion areas included:
- Promoting diverse career pathways across aviation and tourism sectors
- Strategies for youth engagement and early exposure to industry opportunities
- Digital adaptation, cultural fluency, and global mobility as drivers of resilient growth
- Closing the gap between current leaders and future decision-makers
Post-roundtable insights highlight momentum: renewed enthusiasm among youth, calls for broader STEM outreach, and collaborative strategies to position aviation as a vibrant, future-proof career choice.
The format prioritized substance, analytical debate and practical insights, over traditional panels, enabling participants to co-develop forward-thinking approaches to talent development in a rapidly evolving industry.
Building on the 2024 FLOAT launch (in partnership with Airbus), this 2025 edition underscored aviation's role in sustainable economic progress: as a connector of global trade, tourism, and innovation, the sector needs inclusive, skilled pipelines to meet decarbonization targets and regional expansion goals, particularly in the Middle East.
Post-roundtable insights highlight momentum: renewed enthusiasm among youth, calls for broader STEM outreach, and collaborative strategies to position aviation as a vibrant, future-proof career choice.
As FLOAT evolves, it offers a model for intergenerational collaboration in high-stakes sectors, a timely contribution to global conversations on human capital, green transitions, and inclusive growth.
Building on the 2024 FLOAT launch (in partnership with Airbus), this 2025 edition underscored aviation's role in sustainable economic progress: as a connector of global trade, tourism, and innovation, the sector needs inclusive, skilled pipelines to meet decarbonization targets and regional expansion goals, particularly in the Middle East.
Post-roundtable insights highlight momentum: renewed enthusiasm among youth, calls for broader STEM outreach, and collaborative strategies to position aviation as a vibrant, future-proof career choice.
As FLOAT evolves, it offers a model for intergenerational collaboration in high-stakes sectors, a timely contribution to global conversations on human capital, green transitions, and inclusive growth.
