Airports Council International (ACI) World today called on governments to make increasing airport capacity part of long-term national infrastructure and economic planning. It urged them to modernise the frameworks that govern slots and market access while adopting stable regulation that attracts the investment the system needs.
“The industry will need to invest US$4.6 trillion by 2055 just to meet the growth already coming its way. But we cannot simply build our way out of this challenge. Capacity creation means getting more from existing infrastructure, working as one system with airlines and air navigation service providers, and creating policy so that infrastructure can deliver its full benefits—connecting people and markets while also enhancing regional economic value,” said ACI World Director General Justin Erbacci, speaking at the ACI-LAC/World Annual General Assembly, Conference and Exhibition in Lima, Peru.
Slots are a central test of that approach. Following the release of its white paper earlier this month, ACI World is taking the conversation to governments and regulators worldwide. Its message is that slot policy is no longer a technical scheduling matter but a matter of strategic public interest, shaping communities and economies for years to come.
“When capacity is scarce, decisions about who can fly, where and when shape connectivity, competition and passenger choice,” said Erbacci. “We are asking governments to plan ahead for aviation growth, enable capacity before it reaches crisis point, and modernise regulatory frameworks and slot policies. And we cannot ask airports to expand capacity while limiting their ability to finance it. The equation simply does not work.”
ACI World is also calling on regulators to provide stable, proportionate frameworks that encourage long-term investment, and on finance ministries to look beyond the immediate revenue aviation can generate—to the far greater economic value connectivity creates.
The post Governments need to plan airport capacity now urges ACI World appeared first on Air Cargo Week.
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Author: Jaime Gair
