ACI Media Releases

Montréal, 19 November 2013 – Airports Council International (ACI) extends its warmest congratulations to the newly elected President of the Council of ICAO, Dr. Olumuyiwa Benard Aliu.

 Dr. Aliu's election was confirmed on 18 November when the 36 States that comprise ICAO's Governing Council registered their unanimous agreement during the Council's 200th Session. Dr. Aliu's three-year term will take effect on 1 January 2014 and end on 31 December 2016. Nigeria presented his candidature on 8 March 2013.

Montréal, 11 November 2013 – The world’s airports reported an overall year-over-year gain of 4.1% in passenger traffic for the month of September. Accumulated traffic over a twelve month period from October 2012 to September 2013 increased by 3.1%. While overall growth has become relatively subdued as compared to 2012 and 2011 levels, air transport demand has remained resilient in the face of downside risks across the global economic landscape.

Montréal, 7 October 2013 – Passenger traffic experienced a slight surge in growth to almost +5% for August compared to previous months over the first and second quarters of 2013. Annualized growth of passenger traffic for the period from September 2012 to August 2013 was registered at +2.9%. International passenger traffic was a leading driver of this growth for August. In particular, the Middle East and Asia-Pacific both experienced double digit gains of +18.6% and +10.2% respectively in international passenger traffic. This is supported by key airport hubs in these regions such as Dubai (DXB) and Jakarta (CGK), which continue to experience robust gains in passenger traffic on a monthly basis. Dubai (DXB) continues to realize its gains in international passenger traffic for August (+23%) by serving as the fulcrum that connects east and west, while Jakarta’s traffic growth (+16%) is largely attributed to its burgeoning domestic market of over 42 million passengers per annum.

MONTREAL, 7 October 2013 – Today, Airports Council International (ACI) announced the appointment of Martine Ohayon as Director Communications and Events, effective 7 October. She will be based at ACI World in Montreal, Canada.

Montréal, 5 September 2013 – Growth rates have fallen across the world to more modest levels for the month of July as compared to previous months. While the Asia-Pacific region leads global growth in passenger traffic at +5.9% year-over-year, overall global growth is at +2.2%. The world’s top 20 busiest airports in terms of passenger traffic achieved growth of 1.6% for the month of July, while the world’s two busiest airports experienced declines in passenger traffic. Both Atlanta (ATL) and Beijing (PEK) observed a decline in passenger traffic by -3.2% and -2.7% respectively.

Montréal, 3 September 2013 – Today, ACI World announced the launch of its 2012 World Annual Traffic Report (WATR). The Report provides coverage of airport traffic statistics, thematic areas including passengers, cargo (freight and mail), aircraft movements, and new sections. With comprehensive data coverage from over 1,500 airports in over 150 countries worldwide, ACI's flagship publication remains the authoritative source and industry reference for airport data, indicators and rankings. The 2012 WATR, can be purchased at the following URL: http://bit.ly/14Eisld

Montréal, 6 August 2013 – Passenger traffic continued along its growth path for the month of June. In the first half of 2013, the number of passengers passing through the world’s airports has increased by +3.2 percent year-over-year. Although passenger traffic has remained in positive territory over the twelve month period, growth has slowed to 2.9 percent on an annualized basis. The slowdown is mainly reflective of the weakening of domestic markets in North America and Europe stemming from fiscal uncertainties and an overall retreat from consumer spending over that period. Growth in domestic passenger traffic was almost flat in North America over the period from July 2012 to June 2013 while European airports experienced a decline of -3.1 percent in domestic traffic. Notwithstanding, the world’s major emerging market hub airports continue to counterbalance the developed world slowdown as many of them maintain double digit growth rates. Among the world’s busiest airports, Kula Lumpur (KUL), Dubai (DXB) and Istanbul (IST) expanded year-over-year passenger traffic by +22.3, +17.5 and +12.1 percent respectively.

Airports Council International (ACI) and Aéroports de Montréal (AdM) yesterday signed a Memorandum of Cooperation (MoC), in the presence of Montréal International, to promote excellence in airport management and operations at airports worldwide through ACI’s Airport Excellence (APEX) Programme. ACI formally launched its APEX in Safety Programme in September 2012. The Programme helps airports enhance the safety of their airside operations for the benefit of the flying public. The agreement provides the foundation for specific cooperative initiatives between ACI and AdM under the APEX Programme.

The month of May was a banner month for the world’s top airports. Of the top twenty airports ranked by passenger traffic, only two airports experienced year over year declines in passenger numbers. Overall passenger traffic increased by +4.7% in May across the globe. Airports also reported a significant increase of +6.9% in international passenger traffic whereas domestic passenger traffic increased by +2.8% as compared to May 2012. International traffic remains buoyant in the Middle East particularly at key hubs around the region. For instance, Dubai (DXB) and Istanbul (IST) continue along their relentless growth path achieving double digit growth over +18% for the month of May. Moving further east, Kuala Lumpur (KUL) achieved remarkable growth of +22.3% in May.