ACI World responds to IATA’s white paper on slot regulation and airport capacity
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Airports Council International (ACI) World has addressed the growing challenges in meeting air traffic demands, emphasizing the need for a collaborative approach among aviation stakeholders to optimize airport capacity and accommodate future growth.
Airports globally, supported by ACI, have been making substantial investments to expand and enhance infrastructure to meet market needs and cater to increasing passenger volumes.
However, ACI stresses that addressing the projected surge in air traffic requires joint efforts across the aviation ecosystem.
Optimizing airport capacity utilization—through measures such as improved slot policy—requires cooperation from multiple stakeholders, including air traffic management, regulators, ground handlers, immigration and security services, and airlines.
External factors like weather and regulatory conditions also significantly influence airport operations.
ACI points out that the interdependencies among these entities must be considered in capacity planning.
Investment Challenges and Airline Resistance
To support capacity expansion, airports advocate for significant investment in infrastructure, often funded by moderate increases in airport charges.
Despite these charges averaging only 4% of airlines’ total costs, the airline industry has resisted these measures, posing challenges to the investments needed for growth.
Slot Policy Reform
Efficient airport slot management is a critical factor in optimizing capacity. ACI has long supported revising the Worldwide Airport Slot Guidelines (WASG) to reflect modern market dynamics and address inefficiencies.
The organization highlights that IATA’s recent White Paper on slot regulation, while raising some valid concerns, presents an incomplete and biased view, disproportionately blaming airports for inefficiencies in the current system.
ACI emphasizes that airlines also contribute to inefficient slot allocation and usage.
The organization calls for a broader, collaborative discussion to amend slot principles and policies, advocating for an ambitious revision through the Worldwide Airport Slot Board (WASB), which oversees the WASG.
A Call for Collaboration
Darryl Dowd, Vice President of Safety, Security, and Operations at ACI World, underscores the importance of cooperation, stating, “Meeting future capacity demands requires collaboration. Airports and airlines must work together to ensure fair and efficient slot allocation and usage, improved operations, and the necessary investments in infrastructure to support growth.
ACI remains committed to fostering cooperation among stakeholders to deliver solutions that benefit passengers, economies, and the aviation ecosystem as a whole.”
ACI reiterates its commitment to facilitating cooperation among stakeholders to address the multifaceted challenges of optimizing airport capacity and delivering sustainable growth for the aviation industry.
