By Roland Ohaeri
ACI airport members meeting at the Airports Council International (ACI) World Annual General Assembly have unanimously adopted three foundational Resolutions aimed at ensuring a safe and sustainable aviation system as demand for air travel continues to increase, ACI World has announced.
The ACI World Resolutions include Safety and security at airports as fundamental enablers of sustainable growth; Enabling system capacity at airports to meet future growth; and Aviation decarbonization and airport climate action.
ACI World Director General and CEO Luis Felipe de Oliveira said: “Global passenger traffic is poised to soar, with projections nearing 20 billion by 2042, doubling the estimates for 2024. Safely and sustainably accommodating this exponential growth necessitates collaboration across the entire aviation system, including governments. Together, we must ensure sufficient capacity, maintain safety and security, and meet aviation’s net-zero targets. The unanimous adoption of the Resolutions demonstrates the commitment from the world’s airports for sustainable growth, and we thank ACI members for providing a strong collective response. Collaboration is not just essential; it’s the only way forward.”
The annual General Assembly took place at the ACI Asia-Pacific and Middle East/ ACI World Annual General Assembly, Conference, and Exhibition—the most important global gathering of airport leaders—running from 21-23 May in Riyadh, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and hosted by Riyadh Airports Company.
The airports’ Resolution called for strengthened collaboration between airports, Civil Aviation Authorities, governments, international organizations, and funding partners to enhance global aviation standards. Airports were urged to invest in developing skilled aviation workforce, increasing certified aerodromes, and also “support the peer review ACI APEX program that helps airports optimize their operations, regulatory compliance, as well as raise aviation standards worldwide.”
The resolution also called upon airports, governments, and other key stakeholders such as air operators and air navigation service providers to prioritize collaboration in maximizing system capacity utilization, including through policy, access to timely funding, and operational and technical improvements.
The ACI World-Civil Air Navigation Services Organization (CANSO), Airport System Capacity Enhancement (ASCE) program, remains a key resource to optimize the use of airport system capacity, both in the air and on the ground.
Importantly, the resolution underlined airports’ commitment to “the industry’s Net Zero Carbon Goal,” and urged governments and aviation stakeholders to prioritize sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) adoption, along with investment in new propulsion technologies like electric and hybrid electric aircraft, and associated airport infrastructure.
The Resolution emphasizes the need for unified global approaches to aviation decarbonization, including ensuring a sufficient supply of green energy to airports, and incentivizing climate adaptation and mitigation infrastructure development through appropriate financial mechanisms.
ACI World has also launched the Guidance on Airport Decarbonization, a complimentary publication providing guidance on building a roadmap for decarbonization, stakeholder engagement, and economic and financial aspects.
