The airport–airline relationship

Abstract

This article discusses how airline and airport associations are increasingly finding opportunities to collaborate with each other and the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) to meet common safety goals. The development of Standards (uniform applications that are necessary for international air navigation safety) and Recommended Practices (uniform applications that are desirable for international air navigation safety), collectively called SARPs, form the cornerstone of these relationships. Joint development of Procedures for Air Navigation Services (PANS), together with SARPs, provides true viability for these interorganizational relationships. Other airline industry organizations that jointly participate in the development of standards include the International Air Transport Association (IATA) and the Airports Council International (ACI). The article also discusses how ICAO and IATA share safety-related information from their respective safety audit programs, including accident/incident data. The formal agreement between these organizations is designed to help each to better identify potential safety risks, thereby mitigating the possibility of aircraft accidents. Known as the first global standard for airline safety management, the IATA Operational Safety Audit (IOSA) has processed 70% of international scheduled traffic involving 150 airlines. The article also discusses joint initiatives involving such practical operations issues as airport management. Of particular note is a discussion about the Airport Management Professional Accreditation Program (AMPAP), a joint program launched in 2007 by ICAO and ACI. Among its emphases is optimizing the sharing of knowledge across international borders to provide in-depth expertise to airport operators for achieving greater operating efficiencies.