The sky’s the limit at ACI WAGA 2022 in Marrakech

The 2022 Airports Council International Africa / World Annual General Assembly, Conference and Exhibition (WAGA), under the theme ‘Sky’s the limit: Discovering opportunities within change,’ has officially started in Marrakech, Morocco, on 24 October 2022.

The event is the most important global gathering of airport leaders bringing together more than 500 airport CEOs, senior executives, government representatives, and industry partners from all over the world. This year’s edition is hosted by Morrocco’s Office National Des Aéroports (ONDA).

During the opening ceremony: “It is a pleasure to be able to reconnect here in beautiful Marrakech and in Africa, a region that holds great potential for air travel growth, with 18 per cent of the global population but with only 2.5 per cent of global passenger traffic,” commented ACI World Director General Luis Felipe de Oliveira. “I’d like to thank our host, ONDA, for graciously hosting the global airport community. Being here in person with a range of stakeholders provides the sense of community to build a more sustainable and resilient future together as one aviation ecosystem.”

“WAGA 2022 in Marrakech is an ideal opportunity for African airports to discuss current challenges, identify a common vision and move forward together with confidence and pragmatism,” added ACI Africa Secretary General Ali Tounsi. “As ACI Africa embarks on its fourth decade, it remains determined to support the strategy and roadmap of all African airports towards enhanced safety, security, best industry practices, decarbonisation, digital transformation and sustainability.”

“We are particularly delighted to welcome this edition of WAGA, the most important gathering of airports in the world,” said the Director General of ONDA Habiba Laklalech. “Given the calibre of experts who are speaking and participating, this edition will undoubtedly be rich in debates and exchanges covering the most important topics for the future of our sector. The event will reinforce our confidence for a strong, lasting and irreversible recovery.”

Readiness accreditation for future public health events

To support the global airport community in their long-term sustainable planning, allowing them to be well-equipped in the face of uncertainty, ACI World has announced the launch of the Public Health & Safety Readiness Accreditation programme for airports.

The programme is a continuation of the popular Airport Health Accreditation (AHA) programme that supported nearly 500 participating airports during the pandemic. The new accreditation provides airports with an assessment that evaluates how aligned their public health and safety measures are with ACI guidance, industry best practices, and recommendations from the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) Council’s Aviation Recovery Taskforce (CART).

iGA Istanbul Airport collaborated with ACI World for this initiative and has been announced as the first airport in the world to be accredited under the new programme.

ACI World Director General Luis Felipe de Oliveira said: “Following the great success of the Airport Health Accreditation (AHA) programme in helping airports align their health and safety measures on a global scale during the pandemic, ACI is pleased to welcome the next evolution of the programme. We’re thrilled to partner with iGA Istanbul Airport, a leading world airport, for the first accreditation. We aim to welcome many airports to this programme so airports can continue to prioritise the wellbeing of travellers and staff in case of future public health events.”

CEO of iGA Istanbul Airport, Kadri Samsunlu commented: “iGA Istanbul Airport is committed to continue providing their best for customer and community wellbeing. A peer review by ACI on our public health and safety measures, and our compliance and achievements with regards to international standards was greatly appreciated. iGA Istanbul Airport has worked closely with ACI by being an active member in ACI committees and working groups and hosted two APEX Reviews in 2022, one on safety and one on security. I particularly value the initiatives, collaboration, and knowledge exchange that ACI creates amongst its members.”