Passenger satisfaction has been in the limelight for Airports Council International (ACI) this past week. Meeting in India – one of the fastest growing aviation markets in the world – the ACI World Governing Board directed that the passenger’s interest will be a major focus of its future work.

Max Moore-Wilton, Chair of the ACI World Governing Board, said, “ACI and its member airports are in pursuit of an improved passenger experience and will work with ICAO and all industry stakeholders to make it happen. With the expected growth in all regions, particularly here in India where traffic is expected to double in five years, it is imperative that we focus on consumer needs.”

Protecting and improving the passenger experience will determine new undertakings and cross-industry collaborative efforts. ACI World relocated its headquarters to Montreal this year in order to work more closely with the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) especially for safety, security and sustainability – three areas of common priority between the two organizations.

On security, the Board directed that ACI, on behalf of airports worldwide, work with ICAO and governments to seek harmonization of security screening processes so that passengers can clearly know what to expect when they travel on the basis of simple common rules. Airports are promoting standardized and simplified security procedures and urge ICAO and its member States to take a leadership role in the interests of the passenger.

The ACI World Board launched a new initiative called ACRIS, which builds on a harmonized “plug and play” approach to I.T. communications amongst airports, airlines and the many service suppliers on each airport. Enhanced coordination achieves the ultimate goal of delivering more services to the passenger at less cost.

During the preceding ACI Asia-Pacific Region Annual Conference, jointly hosted by Airports Authority of India (AAI) and Delhi International Airport (DIAL), Angela Gittens Director General ACI World presented the prestigious Airport Service Quality awards to the 2010 top performing airports. She said, “These top performers are identified by a comprehensive survey completed by the passengers themselves as they travel through the world’s airports. Passengers should have the last word and we want to listen to and understand their views.”

Both the Chair and the Director General warmly thanked Mr V P Agrawal, Chairman, AAI and Mr P S Nair, CEO – Corporate Airports Sector, GMR Group for their hospitality and support for this major aviation conference, as well as expressing their appreciation to Dr Nasim Zaidi, Secretary, Civil Aviation India and Mr Y S Bhave Chairperson, Airports Economic Regulatory Authority and the other senior aviation specialists who participated in the conference.