[Peetwo]

Airports & A4ANZ wars continue -

Via the Oz:

Airports need freedom to grow

ANGELA GITTENS
With annual flight passenger traffic in Australia to reach 321 million by 2040, airport growth is essential.

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Australia leads the world in promoting a regulatory framework that has facilitated investment by airports in better terminals, better services, and more choice for passengers.


Last year, ICAO, the United Nations’ global civil aviation organisation, made recommendations to governments around the world, urging them to maximise the benefits of aviation for all stakeholders.

Australia has been a global role model in heeding this call, with a regulatory framework that encourages airport investment.

This drives more connectivity, improved passenger service quality, and, ultimately, wider economic growth and job creation.

In delivering these benefits, Australia’s airports have invested $11.5 billion on infrastructure and service improvements over the past decade without taxpayer funding.

This has been facilitated by the liberalisation of airport ownership combined with proportionate economic regulation.

Claims by some that airport privatisation has, over time, led to higher airfares are not supported by evidence and calls for tighter regulation on airport revenues are unfounded.

As such, charges might influence an airline’s choices about capacity and network planning but there is no one-for-one correspondence between airport charges — and any change in their level — and airfares.

Indeed, research carried out by Airports Council International found charges usually do not have a significant influence on airfares; the constant churn in airfares is, in reality, driven by passenger demand, price elasticity, and the level of competition on any given route.

This is an important fact to acknowledge because we forecast annual passenger traffic in Australia will reach 321 million by 2040.

To keep pace with this demand, and to ensure the benefits of this growth are realised by airlines, passengers and the wider economy, Australian airports must be able to invest, improve, and increase aeronautical and non-aeronautical revenue.

This revenue is a crucial source of funds for airports to invest in infrastructure and service improvements and privatisation has been proven to provide fertile ground for investment.

Major projects such as the Brisbane Airport runway now under construction — and planned new runways at Melbourne and Perth airports — are good examples of airport investment increasing capacity, laying the groundwork for meeting the demands of growth.

These and other projects will be crucial as they allow airports to maintain service levels and continue to foster choice and competition that will keep airfares lower over the long term.

Angela Gittens is director General of Airports Council International World based in Montreal, Canada.

"...Last year, ICAO, the United Nations’ global civil aviation organisation, made recommendations to governments around the world, urging them to maximise the benefits of aviation for all stakeholders.

Australia has been a global role model in heeding this call, with a regulatory framework that encourages airport investment..."

What a wonderful concoction of double speak and word weasel confectionary - I guess from an airport's point of view the Airports Act does encourage airport investment. -

However I do wonder in individual States maximising the 'benefits of aviation', if it was the intent of ICAO for a State to do so at the expense of aviation safety?

P2 comment: Out of interest here is the applicable link for the latest version of Australia's 41 pages of notified differences to ICAO Annex 14 which is related to airport regulation: http://www.airservicesaustralia.com/aip/..._Vol_1.pdf   

Now from the otherside of the airport perimeter fence:

Via A4ANZ on twitter:

Our CEO, Dr Alison Roberts, will participate in a panel discussion on airport privatisation, sharing insights into how the current regulatory environment is holding our region back. #IATAAGM
A4ANZ added,
[url=https://twitter.com/IATA/status/1001371164764135424][/url]2:10
IATAVerified account @IATA
#DYK The world's largest gathering of #airline leaders is the #IATAAGM. It is taking place in #Sydney next week! #SYD @Qantas http://bit.ly/2IQilPe 
12:12 PM - 1 Jun 2018

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MTF...P2