Muscat: Twenty-seven CEOs from the world governing board of the Airports Council International will meet in Oman to discuss future recovery and long-term sustainable growth of air travel after being hit adversely by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Preparatory to the conference, the first meetings of the committees started on Saturday in Oman. The meetings will be held for two days in the presence of a number of invited personalities from the aviation sector.
The meetings will be chaired by Aimen bin Ahmed Al Hosni, CEO of Oman Airports and chairman of the ACI World Governing Board, to discuss and approve the ACI’s work plan and ways to enhance cooperation between airports, international aviation organisations and various strategic partners around the world.
The meetings’ deliberations will aim to find innovative ways to enhance efficiency at the airports and in the aviation sector, develop environmental and economically sustainable projects and address other challenges that directly affect the airports and civil aviation sector worldwide.
Al Hosni added: “This meeting constitutes the first nucleus of a roadmap for ACI’s work for the upcoming two years. The sector is on its way to recovery after the pandemic, which has left airports and the aviation sector all over the world in a difficult state. We are pleased that Muscat has been chosen for this, the 65th meeting of the ACI World Governing Board, which comes while the sector breathes a sigh of relief, marking a great beginning. We hope that the positive vibes will continue for the stability of the sector and its people.”
The Director General of ACI World, Luis Felipe, added, “We are happy to start our meetings in Muscat – as we see the recovery gather pace around the world and with the opening up of markets and increase in traffic, we need to chart a course for the future. There will be new challenges, not least how we work together to address climate change, but we are stronger together and we have to be bold. By opening markets and by encouraging and supporting the entire aviation ecosystem, we will be able to create new jobs and new opportunities for the entire community.”
On Saturday, the CEOs of many of the world’s leading airports held a meeting on the sidelines of the Airports Council International summit, during which they discussed solutions to confront emerging challenges, especially after the devastating impact of COVID-19 and the circumstances that accompanied the suspension of international travel, which was one of the most difficult periods faced by the world’s airports and the global travel sector.
The CEOs, heads and members of the working committees of the Airports Council International stressed the importance of working together to find international consensus in cooperation with other international and governmental organisations to address the challenges and make the sector more cohesive than before. The Audit Committee of ACI also held its 28th meeting, during which several issues were discussed with the aim of restoring growth and stability after COVID-19.
