Istanbul, 2013-06-12 — /travelprnews.com/ — The International Air Transport Association (IATA) called for a unified agenda between airlines and airports to address the mutual challenges of growth and sustainability. “Airports are airlines’ closest partners. Neither of us could exist without the other,” said Tony Tyler, IATA Director General and CEO.
Speaking at the Airports Council International (ACI) Europe / World Annual Congress and Exhibition in Istanbul, Tyler noted that major investments in infrastructure will be needed to meet the global demand for air connectivity which is growing at about 5% annually.
Meeting these requirements efficiently will require close cooperation. Over the long term, airline profit margins have been insufficient to cover their cost of capital and this also has been the case for some airports. “Neither partner can afford poorly-thought out and overly expensive infrastructure development. To avoid this, we must work together in a collaborative process based upon the basic principles laid down by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) which include consultation with airport users, transparency, non-discrimination, cost-based charges, and strict safeguards on pre-financing of future infrastructure,” said Tyler.
Tyler also cautioned that “decades of practical experience and longstanding and credible economic theory have shown that most airports have substantial market power. Strong independent regulation is required to provide the cost discipline that otherwise would be imposed by the free market. And the ICAO principles offer sufficient flexibility for regulators to apply various levels of economic oversight where market forces do exist.”
Tyler proposed a unified agenda and partnership between airlines and airports based on:
“An agenda of cooperation does not mean that we will agree in every specific instance. But it does mean that we recognize we will achieve far more together than each could on our own,” said Tyler.
A template for cooperation is found in the approach to safety and security which are aviation’s top priorities. Two key airport safety initiatives are the result of close collaboration between IATA, ACI and others, including regulators: the Runway Excursion Risk Reduction Toolkit and the IATA Safety Audit for Ground Operations. Airports are also working with airlines and regulators in the development of a Checkpoint of the Future to make airport security more efficient while reducing hassle for passengers.
For more information, please contact:
Corporate Communications
Tel: +41 22 770 2967
Email: corpcomms@iata.org
Notes for Editors:
Homer, USA, 2024-May-13 — /Travel PR News/ — Bear Viewing in Alaska is one of…
Paros, 2024-May-13 — /Travel PR News/ — Nestled in the Aegean Sea, Paros epitomizes the…
Mykonos, 2024-May-13 — /Travel PR News/ — Nestled in the Aegean Sea, Mykonos is a…
Pula, 2024-May-13 — /Travel PR News/ — Pula, located on the tip of Croatia's Istrian…
San Juan, 2024-May-13 — /Travel PR News/ — San Juan, the vibrant capital of Puerto…
Fakarava, French Polynesia, 2024-May-13 — /Travel PR News/ — Fakarava, an atoll in the Tuamotu…
This website uses cookies.