WORLD IN MOTION

New resolutions demonstrate ACI’s commitment to facilitating safe and comfortable travel for all passengers, regardless of ability, writes ACI World’s communications manager, Sabrina Guerrieri.

The ACI Asia-Pacific/World Annual General Assembly, Conference and Exhibition, which took place in Hong Kong from April 2–4, was a great success with an attendance of over 900 delegates from around the world.

Hong Kong International Airport was the gracious host and provided all participants with world class treatment.

The 29th ACI World Annual General Assembly was led by ACI World’s chair, Martin Eurnekian, president of Aeropuertos Argentina 2000 and CEO of Corporación América Airports, and saw the election of ACI World’s new vice-chair, Sheikh Aimen bin Ahmed Al Hosni, CEO of Oman Airports Management Company.

“We are fortunate to have their leadership and I can assure you that the World Governing Board and the community of airports will benefit from their valuable experience and acumen,” noted ACI World director general, Angela Gittens.

Every year the Assembly is presented with Resolutions on key subjects for airport operators that reflect the concerns and interests of our members. This year, the Assembly unanimously expressed its position on the following Resolutions:

Mitigating the threat of unwanted drones affecting airports: A Resolution that aims to provide a basis for airport action and appeals for co-ordinated action together with governments and other concerned parties. ACI has also responded to this pressing concern through a Policy Paper, and a recent Advisory Bulletin on available options to mitigate the disruption of drones flying in airport space.

Airports and emergency humanitarian response: A Resolution encouraging airports to plan their role in the recovery of a disaster-affected area. It encourages airport operators to work with governmental agencies and other relevant authorities to plan for being a logistics hub for disaster relief.

Facilitation for passengers with disabilities: A Resolution that affirms the commitment of airports worldwide to continuously strive for excellence in customer service and experience including accessibility for passengers with disabilities. ACI has also produced the recently released Airports and Persons with Disabilities Handbook.

Encouraging continued engagement with ICAO on policy development and capacity building: A Resolution that seeks to safeguard years of fruitful collaboration and to develop new joint ventures such as in APEX, training, events, and the collection and use of data. This Resolution also identifies target areas for advocacy, including: safety, security, efficiency, and environmental protection, in particular, the need for aviation to develop more ambitious greenhouse gas emission reduction goals to meet the objectives of the Paris Agreement.

Collectively, the resolutions put a renewed focus on helping to ensure that airports can facilitate safe and comfortable travel for all passengers, regardless of ability, as the industry strives to meet ever-increasing air service demand.

They will also support ACI’s position this September when ICAO holds its triennial Assembly and will contribute to ACI’s success in representing its members’ interests worldwide.

ACI thanks its member airports for providing a strong collective response to – and a commitment to act on – these pressing issues. As the only organisation that can bring together airports, large and small from all regions, to agree strong measures to address the issues that affect us all, ACI will continue to provide a co-ordinated and collaborative approach.