Assaeroporti is the Italian Association of Airport Operators representing 33 management companies for 42 airports; what are the main activities of the organisation you are General Secretary for?

Assaeroporti represents Italian airports, enhancing their functions at the most appropriate levels and interacting with Italian and EU institutions to ensure the development of the air transport sector, also through comprehensive reforms of civil aviation.

The Association is delegated to reach a definition of the Collective National Labour Agreement (CCNL) for air transport ground staff, in the specific section for airport operators.

Furthermore, Assaeroporti encourages cooperation between the associated airports with the aim of contributing towards improvements in management techniques and procedures and ensuringhigh quality levels in airport activities. Finally, we cooperate with the sector associations at national and EU level to share Italian and foreign airport best practices through ongoing exchanges of views and ideas.

What is the future of Italian airports and what will they be like in the future?

Nowadays, thanks to the changed legislative and institutional conditions which have secured regulatory certainty for the sector, Italian airports are capable of programming significant and long-term investments aimed at improving infrastructures through the use of their own capital. The intensification of technological experimentation and the improvements in the safety and sustainability levels inside airports are making travelling an increasingly pleasant experience for passengers, cutting down on waiting times at the airport.

The transformations that have shaped the air transport industry over recent years have substantially changed the sector creating a greater competitive pressure. There are already clear signs that suggest that the trends recorded so far will continue for years to come.

Therefore, we look to the future of our airports with great optimism in a highly competitive scenario, in which Italian airports over the next few years will become increasingly sustainable, connected with the surrounding territory and increasingly technological thanks to full automation in terminal processes. Moreover, the civil aviation sector is one of the most dynamic in terms of information technology.

What was the experience like of working together with ENAV for the conversion of the airport certificates from national to European certificates under Reg. EU 139/2014?

A spirit of maximum collaboration accompanied the work of Assaeroporti and ENAV during the long process that allowed all airports, where ENAV delivers its services, to be certified by 31 December 2017, in accordance with the requirements of the new European regulation.

The extreme complexity of this operation, which included some extremely frank exchanges of views, strengthened the awareness of all parties concerned, of the need for synergistic cooperation. This gave rise to a shared framework agreement scheme that allowed airport operators to formalise the necessary agreements with the air navigation service provider aimed at ensuring proper management of the respective activities, including the interfacing procedures between the two organisations.

Traffic in Italian airports is growing, as reflected by the latest data. What is Assaeroporti doing to prepare itself to deal with such growth?

Air traffic in Italian airports continues to grow: in 2017, it reached to 175.4 million passengers, 1.5 million aircraft movements and 1.1 million tonnes of freight. Furthermore, the development in Italian air transport appears to be in line with the growth recorded worldwide by ICAO, the International Civil Aviation Organisation, which recorded a 7.1% increase in passengers in 2017.

This data should nevertheless be read with the awareness of the need to intercept the flows for single countries. As also pointed out in the 51st CENSIS report on the country's social situation “The active and continued research for a significant placement within the large flow of international exchanges, is now a duty for any country in the world.”

And this gives rise to the importance of creating a system which includes all the parties involved in the air transport sector.

We cannot help acknowledging that this phenomenon has already started significantly in Italy in the cargo sector that, working as a system, has increased considerably by 9.2% compared with an increase of 9.5% worldwide (ICAO figures).

Moreover, the growth of the sector is vital for the development and competitiveness of our country. Suffice it to say that the overall contribution of the airport system to national GDP is estimated to be 3.6%.