The official Opening Ceremony was performed by: ACI EUROPE President Ad Rutten; Orhan Birdal, General Manager of the General Directorate of State Airports Authority (DHMI); Dr Sani Sener, President and CEO, TAV Airports Holding; and Olivier Jankovec, Director General, ACI EUROPE.
ACI EUROPE’s Airport Exchange broke new ground in this, its fifth year. Held in collaboration with ACI Asia-Pacific for the first time and hosted by TAV Airports Holding, it took place in the historic city of Istanbul from 4-6 October, bringing together delegates from Europe and Asia. The event was, once again, a resounding success, attracting some 1,500 delegates and visitors.
The Gala Dinner took place at the stunning Ciragan Palace Kempinsky on the shores of the Bosphorus, which runs between Asia and Europe.
This year’s agenda saw five conferences running concurrently – Security Summit; Airport Operations Conference; Airport Development & Environment Conference; IT, Facilitation & Customer Service Conference; and Economic & Market Regulation Conference. Each of these was addressed by a range of high-level speakers, with representatives from key industry stakeholders, including airport operators, airlines, air navigation service providers, regulators and government agencies.
Ian Hutcheson, Director Security, BAA, explained that a reactive approach to regulation is not effective and does little to disrupt and deter future terrorist attacks. Threats can be mitigated by focusing on intelligence, behaviour and technology.
Crucially, Airport Exchange 2010 provided a key networking platform, with TAV Airports Holding hosting a spectacular Official Opening Party on the exhibition floor and a Gala Dinner at the truly stunning Ciragan Palace Kempinsky.
The conference programme was complemented by a comprehensive exhibition, in which many of the industry’s leading suppliers showcased the latest innovations in equipment, technology and services, including Vanderlande, Morpho Detection, Rockshore and Skidata.
The Opening Keynote in the Airport Operations Conference was a panel discussion focusing on the operational challenges and lessons learned from the volcanic ash crisis. ACI EUROPE President Ad Rutten explained that lessons learned included: National governments appear to have little interest in supporting aviation, implementing the Single European Sky is an immediate and urgent priority, and aviation is essential to the life of Europe’s citizens and businesses.
ACI EUROPE will continue its collaboration with ACI Asia-Pacific next year, with Airport Exchange 2011 scheduled to take place in Abu Dhabi from 28-30 November. The move reflects the rise of Asia Pacific as a leading aviation market with considerable airport development in the coming years. It aims to offer ACI EUROPE member airports and World Business Partners a unique platform to explore new opportunities.
The Official Opening Party provided an evening of relaxed networking and some spectacular Turkish entertainment.
Dr Waleed Youssef, Chief Strategy Officer, TAV Airports Holding, gave an opening address to the Economic and Market Regulation Conference, in which he highlighted the TAV Airports integrated business model. It effectively offers a ‘one stop shop’ which can invest in and construct, manage and operate, and also commercialise airports. Established in 1999, TAV is notably dynamic in its strategy and achieved its initial target of operating 10 airports in 10 years. The next target is to handle 100 million passengers per year at its airports by 2017.
Cees de Vos, Director Airport Services, SkyTeam Alliance, addressed the IT, Facilitation and Customer Service Conference, with a presentation on airline alliances and customer recognition. He emphasised the importance of technologies such as biometrics and Near Field Communications in achieving customer satisfaction.
Mary Coveney, Manager Forecasts and Tariffs, Dublin Airport Authority and Chair of the ACI EUROPE Economics Committee, participated in the Economic and Market Regulation Conference. The session focused on identifying the correct approach for economic regulation and Coveney concluded her presentation by outlining that balanced regulation is required, which is consistent across various policy dimensions. It should also be checked regularly to ensure it is effective and focused on the consumer.
Michael Ibbitson, Vice President Information and Communications Services, Abu Dhabi Airports Company (ADAC), participated in the IT, Facilitation and Customer Service Conference with a keynote presentation on the role of IT in improving passenger satisfaction. The next steps for ADAC include testing technologies such as Mobile Bar Coded Boarding Passes and Common Use Self Service. A self service boarding trial will take place in 2011. “Success will only be achieved by working with all your partners,” said Ibbitson.
Filip Cornelis, Head of Unit, Aviation Security, DG Mobility & Transport, European Commission, delivered a keynote address in the Security Summit, in which he detailed how Europe leads the way in aviation security regulation. Cornelis also addressed the goal of one stop security – the process to achieve this, he said, required detailed comparison of the respective rules and regulations in aviation security.
Feride Gokalp, Deputy General Manager, TAV Construction, addressed the Airport Development and Environment Conference with a presentation on the extension and modernisation of Istanbul Atatürk Airport. €30 million has been invested in the airport’s international and domestic terminals in 2010.
Daniel Bircher, Safety Officer, Zurich Airport and Vice President of the ACI EUROPE Technical and Operational Safety Committee (pictured centre), addressed the best strategies for reporting, just culture, competency and training issues, for airport staff as well as handlers.
Giulio De Carli, CEO, One Works SpA, delivered a keynote address in the Airport Development and Environment Conference, focusing on planning a development strategy for the Italian airports network. He said that key issues in airport planning include accessibility and intermodality improvement, reducing environmental impacts, continuous monitoring of the airport network evolution, and responding to market demand.
