ACI World and ACI Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) today released a publication designed to provide clear, practical guidance on structuring and implementing private-sector involvement at airports for concessionaires, investors, lenders, advisors, governments, and grantors.
The new resource – Airport Development Concessions Agreements: Global Approaches and Guidelines for Public-Private Partnerships (PPPs) – is being published now as funding from the private sector is often an attractive option for airports as they look to upgrade their infrastructure to meet rising traffic demand.
Today, more than 850 airports in over 90 countries involve private-sector participation, and investment continues to expand, with 132 transactions at various stages in the global pipeline as of January 2025.
Increasingly, concessioning of airport assets has become a widely used model to finance long-term infrastructure and deliver major operational improvements across most regions – underscoring the need for clear, globally informed guidance.
ACI World’s director general, Justin Erbacci, noted: “Airports are vital to connectivity, trade, and social and economic development –and as demand grows, governments face real fiscal constraints to provide necessary, efficient, and sustainable infrastructure required to meet this demand.
“Well-structured public-private partnerships and concessions can mobilise investment, improve efficiency, and deliver world-class infrastructure, while safeguarding the public interest.
“ACI remains neutral on ownership choices; what matters is transparent governance, balanced risk allocation, and long-term value for passengers and communities.”
While his counterpart at ACI LAC, Dr Rafael Echevarne, said: “These guidelines are built on decades of experience across our region and beyond.
“They offer governments and investors a clear, practical framework to structure airport partnerships that are transparent, resilient, and focused on long-term value for passengers, communities, and economies.”
The guidelines cover the state of the airport development concessions industry and offers comprehensive guidelines for preparing, negotiating, and managing airport development concession agreements — from feasibility to execution.
The publication – developed in conjunction with Mott MacDonald and Modalis Infrastructure Partners – will be discussed at the 2025 ACI North America & ACI World Annual General Assembly, Conference and Exhibition taking place in Toronto this week.