As the 42nd Assembly of the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) takes off in Montreal, Canada from September 23 to October 3, 2025, ACI World the Umbrella body of airports all over the world says it would “champion airport priorities” at the triennial event. ACI World will call on “regulators to advance safer operations, seamless travel, net-zero pathways, and stronger connectivity as air travel continues to soar.”
ACI World Director General Justin Erbacci said: “Our proposals put forward practical, collaborative solutions to improve the passenger experience, strengthen safety and security, and enable the socio-economic benefits of aviation to flourish in communities worldwide.” Erbacci further reinforced the need for airports to have a voice at the Assembly noting that “With passenger traffic forecast to double to 18.9 billion by 2047, airports must have a strong voice at the ICAO Assembly”
Under the theme Transform airports, empower aviation and connect the world, ACI’s Working Papers will aim “to advance safer operations, seamless travel, net-zero pathways, and stronger connectivity:”
At the Assembly, ACI will call on states and ICAO to focus on the following:
Barriers to air connectivity and consumers: Urges States to remove regulatory, fiscal, and visa-related barriers that hinder air connectivity, in order to boost traffic growth, enhance affordability, and advance sustainable socio-economic development.
Safety fundamentals: Aerodrome certification: Urges ICAO and States to prioritize certification of all airports and support industry-led programs to work with airports to attain certification—all to ensure global safety and sustainable air transport growth.
Strengthening the aviation security equipment testing and certification process: Calls for the harmonization of security equipment certification to improve global coordination, reduce deployment delays, and enable faster adoption of innovative technologies that enhance both security and the passenger experience.
Meeting growing airports’ energy demand to enable decarbonization: Calls on States to ensure airports have access to reliable and renewable energy—through national coordination and policy support—to meet rising demand and achieve long-term decarbonization goals.
Seamless passenger experience: Urges States to coordinate policies and collaborate with industry to enable a seamless, secure passenger experience by adopting scalable biometric and digital identity solutions at our borders to better accommodate growing air travel demand.
Toward a modern airport slot policy framework for social and economic growth: Calls for modernizing the global aviation slot policy to better reflect public interest, economic goals, and structural changes in aviation.