Airports Council International (ACI) Signs Joint Declaration on Air Navigation Service Infrastructure

Montréal, Québec, CANADA, 15 November 2012 – Today, during the ALTA Airline Leaders Forum 2012, the largest event of its nature in the Latin American and Caribbean commercial aviation industry, Angela Gittens, Director General of ACI World signed the ACI, ACI-LAC, ALTA, CANSO, IATA Joint Declaration on Airport and Air Navigation Service Infrastructure in the Latin American and Caribbean Region.

According to Angela Gittens, “Airport traffic in Latin America is growing very fast and this is placing tremendous pressure on infrastructure capacity in the region. According to ACI’s 2011 World Airport Traffic Report, growth in Latin American airport traffic was 8.5%, which is far above the world average of 5.3%. With airports playing an important role in the economic and social vitality of nations, governments should facilitate and encourage the growth of aviation and the airport infrastructure necessary to accommodate passenger traffic. In addition, government regulation should be sufficiently flexible to enable an industry as dynamic as aviation to grow and adapt in response to new technologies and traffic fluctuations, especially in light of passenger traffic forecasted to double and hit the 10 billion passenger mark by the year 2030.”

The joint declaration urges Latin American and Caribbean Governments to acknowledge the vital role of aviation in social and economic development; provide a fertile environment for the development of air transport infrastructure to accommodate growth based on regional needs and operational requirements; provide economic oversight; reinvest aviation revenues into air transport infrastructure; and refrain from taxing national or multinational aviation when taxes are not reinvested in aviation development.

More specifically, the declaration urges Latin American and Caribbean Governments to:

• Facilitate the timely development of air transport infrastructure in order to accommodate the growth of the air transport industry and ensure the social and economic benefits that aviation brings;
• Provide effective economic regulatory oversight to attract the much needed investment in air transport infrastructure whilst maintaining the competitive advantages of air transport;
• Encourage the development of sustainable air transport infrastructure commensurate with the actual needs of the regions served and based on operational requirements of the airlines that use the infrastructure;
• Apply the revenue generated from aviation for the development of air transport infrastructure, while maintaining compliance with ICAO polices;
• Refrain from imposing taxes on aviation on a national or multi-national level which are not reinvested into aviation development.

The declaration was signed by the leaders of ACI World, ACI Latin America-Caribbean, ALTA (Latin American and Caribbean Air Transport Association), CANSO (Civil Air Navigation Services Organisation) and IATA (International Air Transport Association).

Notes for editors:

• Airports and air navigation services (“air transport infrastructure”) are essential infrastructures for the air transport industry;
• The growth of air transport traffic depends on the availability of air transport infrastructure capacity to accommodate additional passengers, freight and aircraft;
• Air transport infrastructure development is an on-going process in order to evolve with new technologies, operational processes, and improved safety and security standards;
• The tourism industry and business communities are heavily reliant on cost efficient and effective access to air transport;
• The strategic positioning and economic competitiveness of a region is highly dependent on its accessibility to air transport;
• Airports play a vital role in the social and economic development of the cities, regions and territories they serve, and airports serve as focal points of economic growth;
• Safe and efficient air navigation services have a vital role to play in facilitating and ensuring effective air transport.

Click here for the PDF of this media release.

About Airports Council International
ACI is the only worldwide association of airports. It is a non-profit organization whose prime purpose is to represent the interests of airports and to promote professional excellence in airport management and operations. ACI has 573 members who operate over 1751 airports in 174 countries and territories.

About the Latin American and Caribbean Air Transport Association
ALTA is a private, non-profit organization, whose more than 40 member airlines represent over 90 percent of the region’s commercial air traffic. ALTA coordinates the collaborative efforts of its members in order to facilitate the development of safer, more efficient and environmentally friendly air transport in the Latin America and Caribbean region for the mutual benefit of the association’s members, their customers and the industry.

Media Contact
James Roach
Manager, Communications
ACI World
Email: jroach@aci.aero