Foreword
Airports Council International (ACI) World Director General Angela Gittens
Since commercial aviation first took flight more than a century ago, airports have become critical links in the development of global connectivity, providing significant social and economic benefits to the local, regional economies of the communities they serve.
Airports have evolved into vibrant, innovative and competitive businesses focused on meeting the needs and expectations of billions of travellers in partnership with a variety of commercial partners.
Today’s airports are engines of growth – they’re big employers, sources of diverse economic activity, and providers of wider catalytic economic benefits across the globe. Of the 10 million people that aviation directly employs globally, six million are situated at airports.
Increasingly, the importance of providing a high-quality customer experience for airline passengers using the airport is a key driver for airports. Airport managers have developed a range of approaches in providing a smoother and more enjoyable passenger experience, including through functional parts of the journey.
Angela Gittens (shown speaking at the recent Trinity Forum in Shanghai): "Increasingly, the importance of providing a high-quality customer experience for airline passengers using the airport is a key driver for airports."
Since its creation in 1991, Airports Council International has been proud to be the voice of this dynamic industry.
As airports continue to evolve in response to the changing and growing expectations of passengers and airlines, ACI is focused on providing advocacy and guidance, demonstrating best practices in operations, and creating training programmes for all airports, large and small, in every region.
“As we celebrate the significant role that airports play, we also recognise the challenge facing us in ensuring the sustainable growth of the airport industry.”
We will continue to work with industry partners, regulators, and governments around the world to contribute to fostering the next generation of airport professionals.
As we celebrate the significant role that airports play, we also recognise the challenge facing us in ensuring the sustainable growth of the airport industry. We will need to find the financial capacity to develop appropriate infrastructure, adopt innovations to use our infrastructure most efficiently and effectively, assure that we protect our environs from adverse impacts of our operations as well as protect our operations and markets from adverse impacts of climate change.
Our industry works best when we collaborate with government and business partners to address these challenges for the benefit of the passengers, shippers and communities.
That is definitely worth celebrating!
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The Moodie Davitt e-Zine | Spotlight Series – Special Report | 17 December 2018