Airports Council International (ACI) World officials maintain infrastructure financing, revenue generation, and customer experience excellence serve as essential elements in sustaining a vibrant airport industry.
ACI World Director General Angela Gittens, head of the trade association of the world’s airports, recently moderated the Director’s Panel at the 2020 Airport Experience Conference in Denver, Colorado, discussing a variety of airport industry related topics.
“Although nearly all US airports are owned by state or local governments, airports are required by the federal government to be as self-sustaining as possible, and thus receive little or no direct taxpayer support,” Gittens said. “This means that airports must operate like businesses – funding their operations from their revenue, and responsibly planning funding for very major improvement projects – which can often be very expensive.”
Gittens said modernizing the Passenger Facility Charge, which she said currently possesses a $4.50 cap, and maintaining what she deemed a strong Airport Improvement Program would allow airports to serve their passengers with safe, secure and sustainable facilities, as well as effectively plan for the future.
“A key consideration is whether value is created for passengers and airlines relative to overall airport costs,” she said. “With growth in traffic, increasing globalization, and heightened competition for tomorrow’s travelers, catering to the needs of our passengers will be pivotal to airports’ success.”