Putting airports front and centre at the ICAO Assembly: ACI Working Papers
Every three years, the International Civil Aviation Organization – the United Nations’ civil aviation agency – convenes its Assembly in Montreal, bringing together more than 2,000 high-level delegates. States and international organisations, like ACI, submit their own Working Papers to present their perspectives on key issues. If accepted, these Papers direct the outcomes of ICAO for the next three years.
At ICAO’s 42nd Assembly this month, ACI presented six Working Papers, ensuring that airport priorities are front and centre and that outcomes reflect the operational realities and future ambitions of the global airport community.
In this month’s Five Minute Feature, we zoom in on three key Working Papers for European airports. We sit down with three ACI EUROPE Policy Directors – Federico Bonaudi (Director of Facilitation and Parliamentary Affairs), Alexandre de Joybert (Director of Sustainability), and Aidan Flanagan (Director of Airport Capacity & Operations) – who offer their insights and expertise.
Seamless Passenger Experience
‘The Working Paper on Seamless Passenger Experience addresses the expected doubling of global passenger traffic by 2045,’ Federico Bonaudi states. ‘In short, it covers the need for scalable, digital-first border processes to prevent congestion and enhance facilitation.’
ACI’s key asks to ICAO? Federico notes four in particular. ‘Firstly, we’re asking to accelerate development and global acceptance of Digital Travel Credentials (DTCs) and biometric solutions.’ The other three asks largely concern harmonisation: ‘secondly, to provide technical assistance and capacity-building to States on digital identity infrastructure. We’re asking ICAO to urge States to coordinate policies across agencies, and with industry, for harmonised border processes – and in turn, to engage with ACI and industry to pilot digital identity and biometric systems at airports.’
This work would have profound relevance for European airports – EU airports already face severe slot, infrastructure, and workforce constraints. ‘Growth will exacerbate these pressures, alongside the EU Entry/Exit System and European Travel Information and Authorisation (ETIAS) implementation.’ Demand, too, is there: ‘European travellers are digitally advanced and increasingly demand contactless journeys,’ Federico acknowledges: ‘the Working Paper supports these EU ambitions on digital identity and cross-border digital services.’
If adopted, this Working Paper could help accelerate a shift to a global digital identity framework – positioning airports at the heart of border transformation. ‘Airports could move to biometrics-first passenger and border processing: this would reduce queues, staffing needs, and physical infrastructure expansion – alleviating the aforementioned pressures and unlocking the true potential of growth.’ And for passengers? ‘A single, globally trusted digital identity could replace multiple checks and documents, smoothing transfers and enhancing multimodal journeys,’ Federico stresses. ‘And there’s benefits directly for ICAO too: ‘stronger ICAO leadership would help align fragmented border regimes across Europe and beyond, complementing Schengen-wide systems. There’s benefits for all!’
Read the full Working Paper here.
Meeting growing airports’ energy demand to enable decarbonisation
‘European airports, like their global counterparts, face growing energy demand,’ Alexandre de Joybert explains. ‘This is driven by increasing passenger traffic, electrification of ground support equipment, green building standards, and emerging technologies such as hydrogen and electric aircraft.’
‘As a result, our key request is for ICAO and its Member States to facilitate and enable airports’ access to sufficient, reliable, renewable, and low-carbon energy for and at airports.’ In addition, we call on the ICAO Assembly to reaffirm the commitment to decarbonisation, targeting net zero emissions by 2050 at the latest.
The Working Paper also urges States to coordinate with energy ministries and fuel providers to remove regulatory and technical barriers to renewable energy generation, procurement, use, and storage at airports.
The impact for European airports is clear. ‘Reliable access to renewable and low-carbon energy is fundamental for European airports to meet decarbonisation goals aligned with ICAO’s LTAG and EU climate targets’, Alexandre stresses.
If accepted, Alexandre foresees clear material changes and a substantial impact on the aviation industry. ‘Airports can act as energy hubs, integrating on-site renewable generation, energy storage, and supporting clean mobility infrastructure. Overcoming regulatory, infrastructure, or market barriers will be key to ensuring European airports can support these transitions while maintaining operational resilience and energy security.’
Read the full Working Paper here.
Toward a modern airport slot policy framework for social and economic growth
‘We’re asking ICAO to recognise slot policy as a strategic policy choice; with implications for aviation as a whole,’ Aidan Flanagan outlines. ‘By extension, it has an impact on the economy and passengers in terms of connectivity, choice, and competition.’
‘We’re asking States to engage meaningfully and participate in the modernisation of global airport slot best practices. In short, this isn’t about KPIs: it’s about States recognising that airport slot policy decisions shape aviation and the economy.’
For Europe’s airports, which have over half of the world’s Level 3 slot-coordinated airports, Aidan explains that Europe is at the centre of this issue. ‘These airports are congested and increasingly so; and yet we recognise that slot regulations in Europe need an update to reflect today’s competitive landscape and public policy objectives.’
‘This is a call for States worldwide to come to the same recognition that slot policy has implications for all manner of things in aviation. We need to meet the requirements of today’s and tomorrow’s market, not that of the 1990s, when the European Regulation was established and remains rooted.’
If accepted, Aidan believes this Working Paper would spark the right conversations. ‘The first immediate effect would be policymakers and governments around the world engaging with the industry, such as the Worldwide Airport Slot Board,’ he argues: ‘Participating in a balanced global conversation about the principles that slots should be based on, efficient airport infrastructure and access, will have a snowball effect: less congestion, more efficiency, and happier passengers!’
Read the full Working Paper here.
Find the six Working Papers and more about ACI’s involvement at the 42nd ICAO Assembly here.
