The 2015 ACI Latin America-Caribbean/World Annual General Assembly, Conference and Exhibition concludes in Panama

– Declan Collier, Chief Executive of London City Airport, elected Chairman of ACI World Governing Board; Bongani Maseko, CEO of Airports Company South Africa, elected Vice-Chair –

Montreal/Panama City, 3 September 2015 – The 2015 ACI Latin America-Caribbean/World Annual General Assembly, Conference and Exhibition (WAGA), kindly hosted by Tocumen International Airport and organized around the theme “Airports: Shaping our future,” concluded yesterday with the second half of a comprehensive conference programme that included sessions focused on enhancing airport security, best practices during periods of disruption and new tools and techniques for improving the customer experience.

The event ended with the handover and closing ceremony, wherein Joseph Fidanque III, General Manager of Tocumen International Airport, officially passed hosting duties for WAGA 2016, set for September next year and organized jointly by ACI World and ACI North America, to Aeroports de Montreal. It was also announced that the 2016 ACI Latin America-Caribbean Regional General Assembly will be held in Brasilia with operator of Brasilia International Airport Inframerica as host.

“WAGA 2015 was a resounding success,” said Javier Martinez Botacio, Director General of ACI Latin America-Caribbean. “I would like to again extend my thanks to Tocumen International Airport for going above and beyond in terms of its hosting duties this year. From the event itself to the many social networking opportunities, including the amazing Gala Dinner held on the evening of 1 September, Tocumen proved to be an exemplary host. ACI Latin America-Caribbean is proud to call Panama home to its offices and I’m pleased that my airport colleagues from around the world had the opportunity to experience beautiful Panama City during WAGA 2015.”

New World leadership elected

In fitting with the theme of this year’s event, a number of developments that will shape ACI’s future were announced during WAGA 2015. Declan Collier, Chief Executive of London City Airport, was on 1 September elected Chairman of the ACI World Governing Board by a unanimous vote of its members. Collier and Angela Gittens, Director General of ACI World, praised outgoing Chair Fredrick Piccolo for his commitment to the organization and his leadership over the last two years. For his part, Piccolo commended Gittens for raising ACI’s profile as a trusted partner, especially through increased collaboration with the International Civil Aviation Organization and other industry stakeholders, and noted that Collier’s tenure as would usher in a new era of accelerated progress for the organization given his years of experience in the airport industry. Also on 1 September during the World Governing Board meeting, Bongani Maseko, CEO of Airports Company South Africa, was elected Vice-Chair.

Further on the topic of ACI’s future trajectory, Members approved a number of resolutions in the World Annual General Assembly on 1 September related to airport rates and charges; supporting ICAO’s “No Country Left Behind” campaign; support of airport initiatives to increase efficiency; enhancing the passenger experience; using safety data for aerodrome design; and continued airport support of the goal of carbon-neutral growth by 2020.

“The world’s airports got a lot accomplished in a short period of time this week in Panama, and I’d like to reiterate my thanks to Tocumen International Airport for being such a welcoming host,” said Angela Gittens. “In addition to the comprehensive conference and forum programme, The World Governing Board approved all the resolutions we presented, each of them developed to ensure that airport interests are heard and that we continue to shape a safe, sustainable and profitable future for ourselves.

“I would like to congratulate Declan Collier on his appointment as Chair of the ACI World Governing Board and at the same time thank outgoing Chair Fredrick Piccolo for his strong commitment to the organization during his tenure,” she continued. “I would also like to congratulate Bongani Maseko on his appointment as Vice-Chair. He has been a strong advocate of ACI’s work and having him as Vice-Chair will be a major asset for the organization. Both Declan and Bongani are gifted, passionate leaders and their elections mark the beginning of what I am sure will be an era of new accomplishments for ACI as we continue to work on behalf of the world’s airports to make sure their voices are heard throughout the aviation industry.”

To view photos from WAGA 2015, please visit our Flickr page, updated daily with new content from the event.

Notes for editors

1. For more information about WAGA 2015, please click here.

2. Airports Council International (ACI), the trade association of the world’s airports, was founded in 1991 with the objective of fostering cooperation among its member airports and other partners in world aviation, including the International Civil Aviation Organization, the International Air Transport Association and the Civil Air Navigation Services Organisation. In representing the best interests of airports during key phases of policy development, ACI makes a significant contribution toward ensuring a global air transport system that is safe, secure, efficient and environmentally sustainable.

3. Tocumen International Airport is a key point for air connectivity in Latin America. It is the only airport in Central America with two runways at sea level, 34 boarding gates and 6 remote positions, and the ability to move over 12 million passengers per year. Currently, from Tocumen Airport you can be connected with 83 destinations in 34 countries in the Americas and Europe, facilitating business opportunities and offering tourism attractions for a large community at the region. In 2017, the new “South Terminal”, which is the masterpiece of the modernization plan of Tocumen International Airport, is scheduled to become operational. After this expansion, Tocumen will increase its capacity to 18 million passengers per year.

To download a PDF of this ACI media release, please click here.

Media contact

Ryan White
Manager, Communications
ACI World
Telephone: +1 514 373 1226
Email: rwhite@aci.aero