World in motion: ACI News

We report on the release of the newest edition of ACI World’s ASQ 2023 Global Traveller Survey, ACI Asia-Pacific & Middle East’s commitment to the sustainable growth of aviation, and ACI EUROPE’s defence of airport charges.

ACI World news: Global Traveller Survey

Unveiled at the Airports Innovate Conference conference in Oman, the latest edition of the Airport Service Quality (ASQ) Global Traveller Survey – based on feedback from over 4,000 travellers from 30 countries which have flown by air at least once in the last 12 months – reveals a positive intention to travel despite the challenging global economy.

The GTS provides key insights into the evolution of traveller behaviours and expectations and contributes to the advancement of airport experience excellence by exploring current and emerging travel trends, as well as monitoring the potential impact of external events on the air travel industry.

Main findings of ASQ 2023 Global Traveller Survey include:

• Globally, 54% of respondents travelling for leisure and personal reasons reported that economic and geopolitical events have influenced their travel plans in the past year.

• While travellers report a high perceived impact of the economic situation on their travel habits, little evidence is found on the impact of the economy on their actual travel behaviours in the past 12 months or on their forecasted behaviours for the next 12 months.

• Indeed, people have never been more eager to travel with 56% of respondents planning to travel within the next three months, compared to 51% during the same time last year.

ACI World director general, Luis Felipe de Oliveira, said: “This year’s ASQ 2023 Global Traveller Survey report shifts focus from the immediate impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic in order to gain a broader understanding of travel trends affecting current and future traveller behaviours and expectations.

“The findings show that while travellers report a high perceived impact of the economic situation on their travel habits, they have never been more eager to travel. While the global economy continues to face uncertainty, the air travel industry is moving in the right direction with passengers firmly at the heart of airports’ strategies.”

Top consumer trends influencing traveller behaviours and preferences include:

• Automation: 58% of travellers favour technological and automated approaches to enhance their travel experience. However, there is still a preference for human interactions in crucial steps such as security control and immigration processes.

• Personalisation of travel experience: 74% of travellers would use an app that pushes personalised information to make their journey more fluid.

• Emotional engagement: passengers expect the airport experience to be lifted above the historic standard of the airport journey, particularly as they seek stronger emotional engagement with the airport.

• Remote and hybrid work: the rise of remote work has led to a blending of business and leisure travel, with 59% of respondents combining more than one reason for travel in the same trip.

•  Sustainability: 72% of travellers expect to see a green environment at airports and 43% of respondents have heard of Sustainable Aviation Fuels (SAF).

Completion of the GTS report was made possible through the support of IDEMIA as the Platinum Advisory Partner; KONE, Plaza Premium Group, and NACO as Premium Sponsors; and Boingo as a Standard Sponsor.

Sustainability remains a top priority for ACI Asia-Pacific & Middle East

ACI Asia-Pacific & Middle East (ACI APAC & MID) reaffirmed its commitment to the sustainable growth and development of the airport industry at the ICAO 58th Conference of Director Generals of Civil Aviation, Asia and Pacific Regions, in Dhaka, Bangladesh.

ACI APAC & MID called for the promotion of sustainable airport infrastructure; diversity, equity and inclusion of the airport workforce, an outcome-based regulatory regime to facilitate the adoption of innovative technologies in aviation security, integration of advanced air mobility into the air transport system, and restoration as well as the development of air connectivity.

Stefano Baronci, director general of ACI Asia-Pacific & Middle East, said: “ACI APAC & MID remains committed to promoting the aviation industry’s sustainability, gender equality, and technological advancements, and calls for continued collaboration with industry stakeholders and regulators to achieve these goals.

“These will be the key pillars for the development of our industry as we emerge from the shadows of COVID-19 pandemic. Strengthening these pillars will go a long way in making our industry more efficient and sustainable besides augmenting the contributions to the global economy.”

The 58th Conference of Director Generals of Civil Aviation, Asia and Pacific Regions, in Dhaka provided a platform for discussions, co-operation, and key initiatives aimed at advancing aviation standards, sustainability and gender equality in the Asia Pacific region.

ACI EUROPE sets record straight about airport charges in Europe

ACI EUROPE has rebutted claims made by IATA that the increase in air fares in Europe is well below inflation while airport charges would have increased much above it.

While IATA states that air fares in Europe only increased by +16% as of June this year compared to 2019, independent and authoritative data from RDC shows the increase actually standing at +38% over the peak Summer months (Q3) – nearly two times the increase in the average consumer prices index (+20.8%).

October confirmed this trend with air fares even increasing further at +47% when booked 3 months in advance.

IATA’s assertion that airport charges have been continuously increasing above inflation also does not stand scrutiny – as it relies on flawed data from just two airports.

In fact, says ACI EUROPE, airport charges in Europe this year have increased by +13.6%, far below inflationary pressures hitting airports, let alone air fares.

ACI EUROPE’s director general, Olivier Jankovec, said: “Confronted with inaccurate and misleading data, it is crucial to set the record straight about how air fares and airport charges have actually evolved.

“Not only have airlines been able to reflect inflationary pressures in what they charge consumers, but they have been able to exert significant pricing power thanks to supply pressures and capacity discipline. Good for them! Conversely, many airports have yet to fully reflect inflationary pressures in their user charges, with regulators often oblivious of these pressures and of how debt accumulated through COVID is hurting their investment capabilities.”

Beyond that, ACI EUROPE states that it is puzzling to hear IATA asserting that the recovery of the European aviation market is bringing even more competitive conditions, with more airlines and more routes to choose from, as the reality is that air connectivity has recovered at a slower pace than passenger volumes.

As of June, air connectivity from European airports remained -17% below pre-pandemic (2019) levels, while passenger traffic was at -5.9%.

Jankovec commented: “This means that in addition to paying much inflated air fares, consumers tended to have fewer options to choose from. I am sure this is something many Europeans reckon with and have experienced first-hand this summer.

“The market has structurally changed through the pandemic and the recovery, and it is crucial that policy makers and regulators now see though these changes and what lies ahead.

“In particular, the acceleration of airline consolidation coupled with airports reaching capacity limits will challenge our Single European aviation market and air connectivity developments. This is where economic regulators should step back, as the dominance of airlines today makes intrusive price regulation of airports obsolete. This is also where the 30-year-old EU regulation on airport slots requires urgent review.”