Innovation in Airline/Airport Cooperation …

… is the subject of a keynote speech given this week in Marrakech, Morocco by Tony Tyler, director general and CEO of the International Air Transport Association (IATA) at the Airports Council International (ACI) World Annual General Assembly. Relates Tyler, “We need a common and forward-looking agenda that builds on past successes and puts innovation at the heart of our common issues. Airports and airlines share a common interest in making aviation safer, more secure, user-friendly, operationally efficient and environmentally responsible. Combined, these are our common license to grow.”

Tyler highlights six areas where airports and airlines can enhance cooperation to innovate and deliver value: safety, security, improving the customer experience, infrastructure investments, environment, and charges.

Regarding safety he comments, “Safety is our top priority and requires a team effort. We are already doing good and important work together in critical areas such as runway safety. Addressing ground safety and reducing the $4 billon cost of ground damage is another area. ACI contributed to building the IATA Safety Audit for Ground Operations (ISAGO) which has become the global standard. Seattle Tacoma and Amsterdam Schiphol now mandate ISAGO as a requirement for all ground operators at their airports. I urge others to do the same.” According to IATA, there are 128 ISAGO registrations covering 83 ground service providers at 104 airports, with 25 airports having indicated their support of ISAGO.

On the topic of infrastructure investments Tyler says, “Building infrastructure to handle growth is a challenge best handled in close cooperation between airports and airlines. This includes working together in the airport master planning to ensure that investments are being made that match the needs of airlines.”

As airport groups in the U.S. continue their push for airports to be freed of some regulatory oversight and to be allowed to operate more as independent businesses, I’m confident that the folks managing those facilities look at the carriers as their “partners” in this effort. However, in all my discussions with airport managers through the years I can’t recall one instance where an airport official suggested airlines be involved in the master planning process. Guess I just found another question to ask.

Thanks for reading. jfi