IATA: we are approaching infrastructure crisis

“We are approaching an infrastructure crisis,” Alexandre de Juniac proclaims, adding that in some locations the crisis is already ongoing. The International Air Transport Association (IATA) claims that existing infrastructure cannot meet air travel demand globally, thus aviation industry is entering capacity crisis.

During IATA Media Day on December 12, 2018, de Juniac pointed out three critical aspects of infrastructure that airlines expect: sufficient capacity, alignment with technical and service level needs of airlines and affordability. 

Similarly, Lara Maughan spoke about airport capacity constraints, noting that from the airlines' perspective, there is a lack of clarity of airport slots. For instance, the new Beijing airport in China is expected to open in 2019, but it is not known what its capacity is going to be, according to IATA.

Competitive pressures that arise from lack of airport capacity are increasingly transferred to passengers, is noted in IATA's 2018 financial report. For the time being, airport slots can be managed more effectively to improve the situation, especially in terms of introducing constant slot reviewing or other effective capacity management practices. However, since slot process cannot create additional capacity, the organization calls for large-scale expansion at the most congested and busiest airports.