Privatisation, liberalisation and new aircraft technologies are putting airports on an inevitable path to increased competition and only the bestperforming airports will attract levels of investment required to…
Privatisation, liberalisation and new aircraft technologies are putting airports on an inevitable path to increased competition and only the bestperforming airports will attract levels of investment required to sustain growth, according to the Centre for Asia Pacific Aviation.
“Based on projected airline traffic growth rates, there is a global airport capacity crisis looming and governments will need to turn increasingly to the private sector to help fund urgent infrastructure development”, said Peter Harbison, Executive Chairman of the Centre for Asia Pacific Aviation.
“But only the best-performing airports can be assured of funding support into the future. Furthermore, hub competition will only intensify and more contenders will rise as airline strategy evolves, to take advantage of long-range aircraft and emerging growth markets stimulated by expanding economies and easing market restrictions. Airport benchmarking will therefore become increasingly crucial for the airport sector, as airports seek to compete effectively in the market, in terms of facilities, charges and service quality – and to ensure they are attractive to investors and lenders. Benchmarking really is a fundamental in all airport development. Laying out the industry standards gives airports something to aim for. But it is a grey area and approaches to benchmarking differ by region. A global standard is coming – spurred on by increasing private investment that will seek to identify the winning airports”, added Mr Harbison.
The warning comes as global airport leaders will gather in Singapore for the inaugural Airport Development 2006 conference in Singapore on 29 August – 1 September 2006.
The conference includes an Airport Benchmarking Executive Workshop, facilitated by Airports Council International (ACI), which is leading the charge to develop a set of global airport benchmarking standards.
“Delegates attending this workshop can expect to gain a clear ‘ABC’ of current industry best-practice approaches to benchmarking. Airports can and do want to compete – this workshop will show them the basis for how to do it effectively”, concluded Mr Harbison.
Lyn Hampton, CFO & Vice President, Washington Metropolitan Airports Authority and Chairperson of the ACI World Economics Committee will lead this workshop. Airport Development 2006 is organised by the Centre with key partners, including Airports Council International (ACI) and IJK and Associates, supported by Civil Air Navigation Services Organisation (CANSO).
Vicky is the co-founder of TravelDailyNews Media Network where she is the Editor-in Chief. She is also responsible for the daily operation and the financial policy. She holds a Bachelor's degree in Tourism Business Administration from the Technical University of Athens and a Master in Business Administration (MBA) from the University of Wales. She has many years of both academic and industrial experience within the travel industry. She has written/edited numerous articles in various tourism magazines.
