The largest and most important airport industry conference in Latin America and the Caribbean ends with an appeal to governments to fully liberalise air transport

In the panel “Liberalization of Air Transport in Latin America and the Caribbean”, the participants highlighted the need to reduce bureaucracy and tax burdens on air transport, as well as allowing cabotage aviation, i.e. when aircraft from a foreign company flying to a country are allowed to extend the plane’s stay in that country and carry out a domestic leg. According to Peter Cerda, IATA’s vice-president for the Americas, governments need to facilitate the expansion of air transport through liberalization.

“We, as an industry, must take this regulatory agenda to the politicians at the top. They need to have the courage to make the decisions that will increase connectivity and encourage people to fly more.”

In a year themed “The Future is Now”, ACI-LAC held the largest conference in its history, with a record attendance of around 500 participants, including leading industry executives, government and airport authorities and experts in aviation, technology, the environment, management, finance and accessibility.

Accessibility

Accessibility at airports, in order to make them suitable environments for all passengers, was one of the themes highlighted at the ACI-LAC 2023 conference.

Jessica Marin-Urrea, innovation leader at Miami Airport, stressed that building a culture of accessibility requires a correct understanding of disabilities and incorporating the needs of these passengers as part of efforts to improve the experience of all passengers. “The passenger who benefits from accessibility is a passenger like any other and needs to be served with the same quality. But as this requires incorporating minorities, it is crucial that leadership is involved.”

Miami International Airport is one of three ACI-LAC member airports to be certified at level 1 by the ACI Accessibility Enhancement Accreditationprogram, which aims to encourage airports around the world to become inclusive and accessible environments for all passengers. The other two are El Dorado International Airport in Colombia and Carrasco International Airport in Uruguay, operated by Aeropuertos Uruguay.

“The accreditation program has guided us as a step-by-step guide to implement the transformations that are helping us meet the needs of our passengers,” said Camila Nicolich, passenger experience leader at Aeropuertos Uruguay.

The AEA program is based on existing international best practices and recommendations, including the ACI Airport and Persons with Disability Handbook, the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) and universal design, and has three levels of certification. There are currently 11 ACI member airports certified by the ACI Accessibility Enhancement Accreditation program.

Airport industry in the Caribbean

Air traffic in the Caribbean region grew by 2% in 2023 compared to 2019 levels, with an additional 14.4 million passengers. This growth was mainly driven by external routes and airlines from outside the region. The information was released during the summit on the airport industry in the Caribbean, at the end of the last day of the ACI-LAC Annual Assembly Conference & Exhibition 2023.

Experts and industry leaders presented studies with opportunities and challenges for the development of air traffic in the region, security regulation, cargo transportation and mitigation of the impacts of climate change.

Among the speakers at the summit were representatives from the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), the World Bank, airports, consultancies specializing in cargo transport and the environment.

“There are countless institutions that can contribute to supporting the development of our industry in the Caribbean, we just need to provide the figures and experiences for the studies to go ahead. This kind of information and analysis is essential for our growth and credibility,” said Rafael Echevarne, director general of ACI-LAC. Echevarne also took stock of the two-day conference.

“This was the biggest conference ACI-LAC has ever held, with a record number of participants. This year we assertively addressed our position on the total liberalization of air transport. This was another opportunity for fundamental exchanges, to share experiences and best practices and to continue developing the airport industry for the benefit of passengers and the communities where airports are located. ACI-LAC thanks everyone who supported us and we hope to see you again in Guadalajara, Mexico, next year,” he added.

We would like to thank the sponsors of this event: Exolum, Mera Corporation, SSP America, SITA, Arconas, Avolta, TAV Technologies, Morpho Travel Experience, Copenhagen Optimisation, IT Aérea, Amadeus, Eagle Eye Networks, Airport Dimensions, Transoft Solutions and EC Solutions.

Exhibitors: Amadeus, Arconas, Alstef Group, ADB Safegate, Allen & Co, Cobus, Collins Aerospace, Avolta, CIMC Tianda, Global Exchange, Guadalajara Guadalajara, Inmaquip, Incomelec, JBT, Kraftone, Matec, Morpho Travel Experience, Sectus, SITA, Smith Detection, Synaption Aviation, Thales, Ulma,and Wanzl