The 2015 ACI Latin America-Caribbean/World Annual General Assembly, Conference and Exhibition (WAGA) concluded in Panama. hosted by Tocumen International Airport and organized around the theme “Airports: Shaping our future”, the event ended with the handover and closing ceremony.
Joseph Fidanque III, General Manager of Tocumen International Airport, officially passed hosting duties for WAGA 2016, set for September next year and organized jointly by ACI World and ACI North America, to Aeroports de Montreal. It was also announced that the 2016 ACI Latin America-Caribbean Regional General Assembly will be held in Brasilia with operator of Brasilia International Airport Inframerica as host.
In fitting with the theme of this year’s event, a number of developments that will shape ACI’s future were announced during WAGA 2015. Declan Collier, Chief Executive of London City Airport, was on 1 September elected Chairman of the ACI World Governing Board by a unanimous vote of its members. Collier and Angela Gittens, Director General of ACI World, praised outgoing Chair Fredrick Piccolo for his commitment to the organization and his leadership over the last two years. For his part, Piccolo commended Gittens for raising ACI’s profile as a trusted partner, especially through increased collaboration with the International Civil Aviation Organization and other industry stakeholders, and noted that Collier’s tenure as would usher in a new era of accelerated progress for the organization given his years of experience in the airport industry. Also on 1 September during the World Governing Board meeting, Bongani Maseko, CEO of Airports Company South Africa, was elected Vice-Chair.
Further on the topic of ACI’s future trajectory, Members approved a number of resolutions in the World Annual General Assembly on 1 September related to airport rates and charges; supporting ICAO’s “No Country Left Behind” campaign; support of airport initiatives to increase efficiency; enhancing the passenger experience; using safety data for aerodrome design; and continued airport support of the goal of carbon-neutral growth by 2020.
“The world’s airports got a lot accomplished in a short period of time this week in Panama, and I’d like to reiterate my thanks to Tocumen International Airport for being such a welcoming host,” said Angela Gittens. “In addition to the comprehensive conference and forum programme, The World Governing Board approved all the resolutions we presented, each of them developed to ensure that airport interests are heard and that we continue to shape a safe, sustainable and profitable future for ourselves.
“I would like to congratulate Declan Collier on his appointment as Chair of the ACI World Governing Board and at the same time thank outgoing Chair Fredrick Piccolo for his strong commitment to the organization during his tenure,” she continued. “I would also like to congratulate Bongani Maseko on his appointment as Vice-Chair. He has been a strong advocate of ACI’s work and having him as Vice-Chair will be a major asset for the organization. Both Declan and Bongani are gifted, passionate leaders and their elections mark the beginning of what I am sure will be an era of new accomplishments for ACI as we continue to work on behalf of the world’s airports to make sure their voices are heard throughout the aviation industry.”
