ACI Asia-Pacific welcomes co-operation to overcome recovery challenges

Airports Council International Asia-Pacific (ACI Asia-Pacific) has called for flexible regulatory policies, innovative procedures, greater efficiency and a better passenger experience as part of its long-term approach to help airports make a sustainable recovery.

At the ICAO’s 57th Conference of Directors General of Civil Aviation for Asia and Pacific Regions in
Incheon, Republic of Korea, ACI Asia-Pacific has made several recommendations related to ACI’s
approach to airports decarbonisation, need for responsive and flexible regulatory framework, adoption of One-Stop Security, addressing manpower crisis at airports, smooth operational recovery
from pandemic Role of APEX in aerodrome certification.

Stefano Baronci, Director General of ACI Asia-Pacific commented: “We are pleased that ICAO Member States have, to a large extent, have favourably considered our recommendations to further enhance airports’ role as engines of economic and social progress in a safe and sustainable manner. In particular, the Conference recommendations for States to include the Airport Carbon Accreditation (ACA) and APEX in Safety in their National Aviation Plans is a strong incentive for ACI Asia-Pacific to continue to assist developing countries in building capacity consistently with the ICAO Policy of No Country Left behind.”

As borders and economies begin to reopen, more flexible regulatory policies and innovative solutions are needed to drive air travel. Building on the positive outcome of the conference, ACI Asia-Pacific expects regulators in the Asia-Pacific Region and ICAO to act in co-operation with the industry stakeholders, and it is paramount to do so with global harmonisation if we want the air transport industry to continue to be a key contributor to our economic recovery.

“The way towards recovery in Asia-Pacific is still long and challenging but States have unequivocally committed to strengthen regional co-operation, including in the areas of reviving air travel, enhancing manpower, improving operations to ensure a smooth traveller experience, aviation safety and sustainability. The upcoming 41st ICAO Assembly in September will be a critical juncture for building consensus at global level on important initiatives related to the decarbonisation of the sector and harmonisation of health measures,” added Baronci.

Action items arising from the 57th Conference

The Role of APEX in Safety on Aerodrome Certification: The Conference urged States, especially
those which have not certified all of their international aerodromes, to include APEX in Safety in
their National Aviation Safety Plan. APEX in Safety is a peer assessment programme whereby
voluntary aerodrome safety and operations professionals are invited to conduct safety reviews of
airports. The reviews have proved helpful for airports to improve safety compliance.

Increasing the adoption of One-stop Security: The conference encouraged governments to consider inputs and recommendations provided by airports and airlines when assessing opportunities for One-stop Security (OSS). OSS has been discussed for many years and the potential benefits that it can bring to the security and efficiency of the entire air transport industry are widely acknowledged. However, the implementation of OSS is still limited worldwide, especially in the Asia-Pacific region. Airports Need a Responsive & Flexible Regulatory Framework: The conference encouraged the States/Administration to support the activities and tasks of ICAO’s Airport Economics and Air Navigation Services Panel (AEP-ANSEP) to conduct a general review of the ICAO policies on charges contained in Doc 9082, including the assessment of its ongoing relevance and responsiveness to industry changes and to ensure representation and active participation of Asia-Pacific States/Administrations in the Panel.

Ensuring smooth operational recovery from pandemic

The conference recommended that:

1. ICAO to progress as a priority the High-Level Conference on COVID (HLCC) 2021
   recommendations and actions aimed at developing a crisis response framework for future health crises that draws on the recommendations and guidance and advice developed by Council’s Aviation Recovery Task Force (CART)
2. States enhance the use of digital health platforms, where applicable, and simplify the processes by removing the need for airlines to check physical documents at check-in
3. Government agencies in individual states co-ordinate and collaborate among themselves to provide a single platform for the collection of comprehensive information about passengers and issuance of digital notification of approval to travel.