Resolutions to future proof the sustainability of airports were passed at the Airports Council International (ACI) Africa/World General Assembly last week.
ACI World Director General, Luis Felipe de Oliveira, said: “This year the assembly unanimously adopted resolutions that will strengthen the sustainability and resilience of airports as essential players in the aviation ecosystem, and for the benefit of travellers and communities worldwide. These resolutions will help airports deliver the long-term nett-zero carbon goal; restore economic equilibrium; support small, emerging, and regional airports; and build aviation’s workforce.”
CEO of Airports Company South Africa, Mpumi Mpofu – who was re-elected to serve as an adviser in ACI Africa and World – said a lot of work lay ahead for her and other advisers who had been elected.
“Airports globally are still reeling from the effects of the pandemic. Everywhere you go, airports have had to change ways of working in order to remain sustainable, and this often meant mothballing a number of operations.
“But as we begin to see more traffic numbers, we will make adjustments in our operations and bring back to life more airport facilities to meet and enhance customer experience. More importantly, we believe better customer experience will translate to improved and diversified revenue streams,” said Mpofu.
Resolutions taken at the ACI Assembly
Delivering the long-term aspirational goal – governments have been urged to provide airports with the support they need to achieve the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals or reduce carbon emissions and ultimately have nett-zero carbon emissions by 2050.
Restoring economic equilibrium – recognising the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on airport passenger traffic with a global decline of 61% in 2020 relative to 2019 (falling from 9.2 billion passengers in 2019 to 3.6 billion passengers in 2020), and the effects on revenues, which caused investors and creditors to re-evaluate the risk profile of airports, thereby adversely affecting the cost of capital investment.
The ACI General Assembly has resolved to urge governments to acknowledge the changed risk profile of airports as a result of traffic and financial losses from the pandemic, and its implications on regulated charges.
Support and assistance for small, emerging, and regional airports – this resolution seeks to reinforce engagement and support for the segment of ACI’s members that have different needs and interests compared with larger hubs or more established operators. This is especially important as a significant portion of ACI member airports is small, emerging, or regional airports.
Creating a strong and diverse airport workforce to meet future demand and ensure the long-term sustainability and resilience of the aviation system – the ACI World General Assembly has recognised the human capital issues that airports are currently facing in recruiting and retaining sufficient numbers of skilled workforce to meet the future and current operational demands.
ACI World released a paper, titled ‘The Evolution of the Airport Workforce: Turning Challenges into Opportunities’ White Paper. This paper gives the context of the state airports are currently functioning under and gives recommendations to help airport operators, aviation stakeholders, and governments to build a stronger workforce that meets the needs of the current and future airport operations.
