Airports Council International (ACI) World and the Civil Air Navigation Services Organization (CANSO) have signed a memorandum of understanding to develop the Airport System Capacity Enhancement (ASCE) program.
The ASCE program aims to remove the barriers to unlocking airport capacity and support the sustainable growth in demand for air travel. ACI World and CANSO will collaborate on a pilot of the program at Jorge Chávez International Airport in Peru to refine and validate methodologies, with another one intended in the following months.
The program will provide a comprehensive on-site review led by industry peers and experts to improve the use of airport system capacity, both in the air and on the ground. The airports and air navigation service providers (ANSPs) being reviewed benefit from an assessment tailored to their needs and receive expertise, practical recommendations and targeted solutions that contribute to their long-term capacity use and operational efficiency.
According to the ACI World Airport Traffic Forecasts 2022-2041, total passenger traffic worldwide is predicted to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 7.5% from 2021 to 2041 and reach 19.3 billion passengers. This includes a steep recovery gradient in the first five years (CAGR for 2021-2026) at 19.0%. In addition, the aviation industry has committed to the ambitious long-term environmental goal of reaching net-zero carbon emissions by 2050, in line with the Paris Agreement.
The ASCE program focuses on the entire airport system and surrounding airspace as the organizations report that these areas can often have the biggest capacity challenges. Improvements in capacity use can reduce delays and inefficient operations that can result in additional costs for airports, ANSPs and aircraft operators, as well as disruptions for passengers. In some cases, improvements can be made that enable the deferral of costly infrastructure or system investments and contribute to aviation’s emissions reduction goals. Unlocking capacity through improved coordination, changes to procedures and strategic investments in technology and infrastructure are therefore expected to provide significant advantages.
Luis Felipe de Oliveira, director general of ACI World, said, “Leveraging all the available capacity across the airport system is one of the key ways that airports and air navigation service providers can support the growth of air travel demand and the sustainability of the global aviation ecosystem. This includes the ability to meet the industry’s ambitious emissions reduction goals while sustaining economic balance by deferring or reducing the need for expensive capex investments. For these reasons, ACI World is proud to be strengthening its relationship with CANSO through the MoU and the launch of the Airport System Capacity Enhancement (ASCE) Program – dedicated to optimizing capacity for today’s and tomorrow’s passengers.”
Simon Hocquard, director general of CANSO, added, “ACI and CANSO have many shared priorities and we are pleased to be working with our airport partners on this program. I believe focusing on unlocking system capacity in the airport and airspace terminal environment can deliver real benefits for the system. We need new perspectives on the management of congestion and to be looking at new ways to utilize existing infrastructure resources if we are to meet future demands.”
Read more regulation and policy updates from the passenger terminal industry, here.