International Civil Aviation Organization WORKING PAPER FALP/10-WP/19 Revised 29/8/18 FACILITATION PANEL (FALP) TENTH MEETING Montréal, 10-13 September 2018 Agenda Item 6: Other matters FACILITATION FOR SUSTAINABLE AVIATION GROWTH Presented by Airports Council International (ACI), the International Air Transport Association (IATA) and Singapore SUMMARY Recognising that airports are already capacity constrained, and passenger numbers are predicted to grow significantly in the coming years, this paper presents a series of recommendations to sustainably support growth in passenger numbers in the short to medium term. Action by the FAL Panel: The Facilitation Panel is invited to consider the proposed actions in this paragraph 5 of this paper to encourage greater collaboration between States and Industry to effectively address growing passenger numbers and capacity constraints. 1. INTRODUCTION 1.1 The future of air transport looks bright. Over the next twenty years, passenger numbers are forecast to double. The International Civil Aviation Organization forecasts 6.3 billion passengers in 2030, increased from 2.9 billion in 2012. Air Transport is critical for countries economies. It creates connectivity, supports trade and business and supports nearly 63 million jobs worldwide. 1.2 The scale of the growth of aviation activity brings into sharp focus the need for systems and processes that are up to the task of tomorrow's facilitation and security challenges. All players in the value chain, in every area of airport operations, will have to become more responsive and efficient. 5 pages FALP10.WP19-rev.Facilitation-SustainableAviationGrowth.doc
FALP/10-WP/19-Revised - 2-1.3 As per the Convention on International Civil Aviation (the Convention ), each contracting State agrees to adopt all practicable measures, through the issuance of special regulations or otherwise, to facilitate and expedite navigation by aircraft between the territories of contracting States, and to prevent unnecessary delays to aircraft, crews, passengers and cargo, especially in the administration of the laws relating to immigration, quarantine, customs and clearance. 1.4 The Standards and Recommended Practices on Facilitation are the outcome of Article 37 of the Convention, which provides, inter alia, that the International Civil Aviation Organization shall adopt and amend from time to time, as may be necessary, international standards and recommended practices and procedures dealing with... customs and immigration procedures... and such other matters concerned with the safety, regularity and efficiency of air navigation as may from time to time appear appropriate. 1.5 Furthermore, the ICAO s Facilitation Manual (Doc 9957), defines Facilitation as a wide range of issues and activities, as well as the development of Standards, in connection with the clearance of aircraft, people and goods through the formalities required at international borders. This includes all practicable measures, through the issuance of special regulations or otherwise, to facilitate and expedite navigation by aircraft between the territories of contracting States, and to prevent unnecessary delays to aircraft, crews, passengers and cargo, especially in the administration of the laws relating to immigration, quarantine, customs and clearance. The goals of ICAO s facilitation programmes include developing modern and innovative strategies for addressing issues such as airport congestion. 1.6 As a transport hub, an airport provides many functions, some of which may be outsourced, to support its time-critical operations. However, many airports are facing congestion without having a way to increase capacity rapidly. The challenge for airports and governments is to manage performance and growth, contain costs, make better use of resources and find efficiencies, all while improving the passenger experience, and maintaining safety and security. 2. OPPORTUNITIES 2.1 There are a number of areas where significant opportunities to increase efficiency and improve passenger experience and security exist. The three main themes are better use of technology, a more joined-up approach and the rapid adoption of innovative processes. These include; a) Rationalisation of inspection points throughout the passenger journey, to remove duplication of work and remove bottlenecks. Current bottlenecks include repeated manual inspection of travel documents by multiple parties and in some cases repeated screening of bags for customs and security purposes. b) Greater data sharing and clear allocation of responsibilities between all stakeholders in the airport ecosystem, including between agencies such as customs and immigration services, law enforcement and security agencies, airports and airlines to remove duplication and increase efficiency.
- 3 - FALP/10-WP/19-Revised c) Automating manual processes such as physical collection of duties and taxes on arrival or departure. d) Faster adoption of automated processing for all passenger processes, through innovative approaches to funding, agreement on responsibilities and the facilitation of regulatory amendment. e) Taking an inclusive, risk-based approach to automated border control to enable faster clearance of the majority of passengers rather than segregation of different groups. Often only national citizens are considered eligible for automated processing, taking up valuable space in the customs hall and reducing the benefits from automated border control. f) Leveraging emerging technologies and innovation such as biometric entry and exit clearance, electronic and mobile customs declaration and mobile boarding pass. 3. INDUSTRY ACTIVITIES 3.1 The industry is taking a lead in many areas that can assist in addressing capacity issues, removing queues and crowds and optimizing use of resources. Some examples include; a) Adoption of advanced technologies; The rapid emergence of new technologies can lead to a new way of looking at airport capacity challenges. Digital transformation has brought about different capabilities at many airports and will continue to increase in coming years. ACI and its member airports are actively promoting re-engineering of processes and leveraging technologies for greater efficiency and better passenger experience through ACI s Airport IT and Facilitation Committees, recently publishing guidance on undertaking digital transformation projects for airports. One example includes the use of airport beacons with mobile applications to provide digital wayfinding and to facilitate passengers in the terminal. b) Defining a common language; The Airport Community Recommended Information Services framework, known as ACRIS, has been developed by ACI to provide a data structure for data exchange in the aviation community. ACRIS provides an environment where airports can share data with their partners in a standardized and seamless manner. Examples of ACRIS include a standard for A-CDM (collaborative decision making to streamline airport operations) and Seamless Travel designed to enable passengers to consume information from airports and airlines in a single application. c) Facilitating data exchange; Development is underway of a platform for industry APIs (Application Programming Interfaces), supported by ACRIS, which will enable stakeholders to use each other s information and services. d) Embracing digital solutions; Digital identity management is becoming an ever-more important concept. Initiatives such as the IATA s One ID project (supported by ACI) and the Digital Traveller Credential (DTC) by ICAO s NTWG seek to introduce a collaborative identity management solution that spans all process steps and stakeholders in the end-to-end journey from booking to arrival at
FALP/10-WP/19-Revised - 4 - destination and back, putting the passenger in the centre. The concept relies on early validation of the passengers identity, and controlled access to this information by the various public and private stakeholders on an authorized-to-know basis, so that the passenger can be recognized and attended to in the most efficient way in subsequent process steps. e) Creating a common vision; Encompassing all of these individual projects and concepts, ACI and IATA have launched a joint initiative known as NEXTT - New Experience Travel Technologies. NEXTT is investigating how advanced processing technology such as tracking and identification, robotics and automation can improve safety, security and customer experience. It will also consider how data can better be used through predictive modelling and artificial intelligence for real time decision making and improved efficiency. Each of these concepts is considered for cargo, baggage, passengers and aircraft. For baggage, the aim is for convenient and hassle-free handling and tracking of baggage for passengers, with a greater choice of service and offerings. For passengers, a seamless, secure and efficient walking pace journey that is highly personalized throughout. For cargo, efficient operations and modern technologies to support easier, faster and smarter movement of cargo. For Operations, new processes and technologies for aircraft turnaround, including delivery of services and supplies to the aircraft, apron and taxiway management. 4. GOALS AND TARGETS 4.1 Annex 9, Facilitation already supports many of the principles above; indeed the model Airport Facilitation Programme contains references to establishing modern systems for immigration and customs inspection, automated passenger clearance systems and adequate staffing of inspection stations. Many of these items are not within the control of the airport; further work is needed for collaboration between industry and States in this regard to encourage implementation of these principles. 4.2 A set of forward-looking and ambitious initiatives for aviation facilitation should be developed as a to-do-list to address the challenges. This set of initiatives could include the following principles; a) Adoption of a framework for bilateral and multi-lateral agreements between States to facilitate interoperable systems and data exchange. b) Remove duplication for both passenger data and passenger processing at an airport for customs, immigration, and security. c) Greater adoption of electronic clearances for customs and immigration to remove paper forms and manual checks.
- 5 - FALP/10-WP/19-Revised d) Adoption of automated border controls that are as inclusive as possible of multiple nationalities based on risk. e) Adoption of new technologies including broader consideration for automated identity management using biometrics, and support for the development of the digital travel credential within the TRIP strategy. f) Encouragement and regulatory support for the sharing of data between all stakeholders for the purposes of facilitation. 5. ACTION BY THE FAL PANEL The FAL Panel is invited to: a. Ask ICAO to consider the development of practical initiatives to encourage implementation of Annex 9 Standards and Recommended Practices, taking into account new technologies available and latest practices being implemented; b. Encourage ICAO and Member States to address capacity constraints and growing passenger numbers through their involvement in the facilitation panel working groups and when developing guidance materials; c. Consider the creation of an innovation or automation section to the ICAO AVSECPaedia, or equivalent system, as a repository of facilitation solutions; and, d. Encourage Member States and Industry to support developments of innovative and efficient processes and technologies under the NEXTT initiative and other industry programmes. END