ACI ASIA-PACIFIC
Beijing and Singapore ‘ones to watch’, says ACI Asia-Pacific
Eagerly awaited openings at the new Beijing Daxing International Airport and Abu Dhabi Midfield Terminal Building add weight to a flurry of crucial commercial projects playing out in Asia Pacific and the Middle East this year. ACI Asia-Pacific Regional Director Patti Chau tells Luke Barras-Hill why air transport should brace itself for intensified competition in an unpredictable climate.
The ongoing diplomatic crisis in Qatar will clearly continue to impact the region as the geopolitical climate remains tense and challenging.
What aviation infrastructure developments in Asia Pacific excite you most this year and why? There are plenty of aviation infrastructure
developments Patti Chau, Regional Director, ACI Asia-Pacific. P
assenger traffic across Asia Pacific’s airports increased by 6.6% in 2018, while the
Middle East displayed more meagre growth at +2.1%. What is your assessment of these performances? In 2018, passenger traffic in Asia Pacific finished the year slightly ahead of the global average of +5.8%. China and India continue to be key drivers of progressive growth, each recording increases of 10.2% and 15.8 %, respectively. Passenger traffic at the world’s 20 busiest airports grew
“The opening of Jewel Changi Airport will revolutionise the concept of what we know today as shopping malls.”
Patti Chau, Regional Director, ACI Asia-Pacific
26 TRBUSINESS
by 4.7%, demonstrating resilience and strength. It’s interesting to note that half of those airports are in Asia Pacific. Passenger traffic in the Middle East showed a larger degree of volatility due to geopolitical restlessness. Although passenger traffic growth has moderated since 2017, it was fairly robust through much of 2018.
Are the new terminals at Muscat Airport and Istanbul Airport set to shift the balance of power away from airport hubs such as Dubai and Abu Dhabi? With the deployment of Muscat Airport’s new terminal in 2018, Turkey’s new Istanbul International Airport and other airport terminals opening in the latter part of the year (Bahrain and Abu Dhabi), there will be plenty of capacity and competition in the Middle East.
coming to fruition this year. [Aside the above] In China, we have Beijing’s second airport, Daxing, anticipated to be ready this September. This development has been in the limelight for the last few years and is now testing operations. We expect it will open in time to coincide with the 70th anniversary of the PRC. Daxing is expected to have an eventual seven runways with capacity to handle 100 million passengers. In terms of the commercial offering, the opening of Jewel Changi Airport will revolutionise the concept of what we know today as shopping malls. These two, in my opinion, are the most exciting developments in 2019.
There is an increasing trend towards privatisation at aviation centres in the region. Is this a healthy trajectory in your view, particularly when it comes to non-aeronautical and retail development? The magnitude of investment needed by airports to keep up with demand is pretty substantial. In Asia Pacific and the Middle East, more than US$419bn is planned capital expenditure by airports. This includes investments in new
MAY 2019
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