ACI WORLD NEWS
World in motion
ACI World reflects on the recent ICAO organised Air Transport Conference in Montréal.
From March 18-22, ACI World Governing Board’ s vice president, Rick Piccolo, and other senior airport executives converged at the headquarters of the International Civil Aviation( ICAO) in Montréal for the once-a-decade Air Transport Conference.
The five-day conference, which is only the sixth such event since ICAO was formed in 1944, sought to address and resolve economic policy issues in favour of a future that includes an economically viable and sustainable air transport sector.
Attended by over 1,000 delegates from more than 200 states and international organisations, over 100 working papers were presented, including seven from Airports Council International.
The papers presented at the conference sought the development of ICAO policy on aviation economics, liberalisation, fair competition, taxation and charges, and consumer protection.
Speaking on the Freedom to do Business Panel at the pre-Conference Symposium on Sunday March 17, Piccolo stated that the regulatory environment was very different at the time of the last Air Transport Conference in 2003.
Today, regulators needed to allow market forces to work for airports in the same fashion that was made possible for airlines. ACI supported the principles of effective market access, transparency, non-discrimination and fair competition.
He said that the market could be harsh, and airports took risks investing in new infrastructure since there was no guarantee that airlines would utilise this infrastructure in the long-term.
On the Symposium Panel discussing Consumer Protection, Tan Sri Bashir Ahmad Abdul Majid – ACI World Governing Board member, managing director of Malaysia Airports Holding Berhad and chair of ACI-Asia Pacific – observed that passenger expectations were increasingly demanding and that handling their many needs was challenging, but for the most part service provided to those passengers by airports and airlines was very high.
Problems generally arose when things went wrong, and it was important for industry to work together to develop common procedures, and here ICAO could provide a suitable forum.
He warned that if industry did not act there was a risk that government regulations would be introduced which could be out of step with industry’ s capabilities.
Speaking on the symposium’ s panel on taxation, Robert Deillon, CEO of Geneva Airport and ACI Europe Board member, noted the need for light touch regulation as the increased competitiveness of airports meant that concepts such as‘ single till’ were outdated, and that competition and contestability meant that detailed regulation could impede infrastructure development and improvements to customer service.
ACI director general, Angela Gittens, said that ACI was consolidating its international representation role as the voice of the world’ s airports. Indeed, the level of engagement that ACI was able to muster is testament to the increased stature and importance of airports in shaping the international aviation policy agenda.
In addition to the speakers at the Pre-Conference Symposium, airports were represented by the chair of ACI-North America, David Edwards, executive director of Greenville-Spartanburg International Airport and its president, Greg Principato, and the director of the Asia-Pacific Region, Patti Chau.
During the conference, ACI presented working papers on Market Liberalisation, Slots and Night Curfews, Passenger Protection, Airport Competition and Economics of Airports, and jointly presented papers with CANSO and IATA on taxation and modernising air traffic management.
Woman of the Year
ACI director general, Angela Gittens, has been named as Woman of the Year by Air Transport News( ATN).
Gittens, who has spearheaded the organisation since 2008, received the honour at ATN’ s annual awards ceremony, held in Montréal on the eve of ICAO’ s Sixth Worldwide Air Transport Conference.
ATN states that the awards celebrate the companies and key players who make outstanding contributions to the air transport industry, and whose vision and determination positively impact the industry, and the countless individuals and communities touched by the economic and social spin-offs of aviation.
Gittens enthused:“ I am thrilled to receive this inaugural Woman of the Year award from Air Transport News. I share this award with all the other women in aviation who represent this dynamic industry and who work day-in and day-out to ensure its safety and sustainability.
“ It is particularly gratifying to share the stage with my colleague, Raymond Benjamin, who has been named Leader of the Year in the ATN Awards, and I assure you that ACI will continue to work alongside ICAO and our other aviation stakeholders to attain the benefits that commercial aviation brings to the world’ s communities.”
12
AIRPORT WORLD / APRIL-MAY 2013