As part of the recent MoU between ACI and China, Guangzhou Airport has been announced as the host of the 2025 ACI World Customer Experience Summit and Exhibition.

Airports Council International (ACI) World, ACI Asia-Pacific and Middle East (ACI APAC & MID) and the China Civil Airports Association (CCAA) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to strengthen their cooperation.

According to a press statement, ACI World’s Director General, Luis Felipe de Oliveira, has wrapped up a five-day tour around China from January 9–15. It included meetings with top level representatives from CCAA, Beijing Capital International Airport, Daxing International Airport and Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport, as well as Government representatives including Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) Administrator Song Zhiyong and Acting Mayor of Guangzhou Sun Zhiyang.

The MoU will see the parties collaborate on several initiatives like airport customer experience through the ACI Airport Service Quality (ASQ) programme and ACI Global trainings and assessments, including the APEX in Excellence peer assessment programme.

The statement adds that this collaboration will also facilitate decarbonisation through the new ACI APAC and MID NetZero Roadmap programme, along with ACI and CCAA events in China.

“The reopening of China in 2022, the second largest aviation market after the United States, remains a critical boost to global activity and to passenger traffic, both domestically within the Chinese aviation market and for international travel. The Asia-Pacific region, where China plays a key role, is expected rebound in 2023, reaching 85.3 pc of 2019 levels. Our deepest gratitude to CCAA for its warm hospitality, as we look forward to fortifying our partnership in a multitude of ways, including enhancing the customer experience, honing professional skills and accreditations, championing decarbonisation and organising airport events around the world, with Chinese airports at the forefront,” says ACI World Director General Luis Felipe de Oliveira.

“China will continue to be one of the most vibrant aviation markets, and is expected to contribute 21 pc to the additional growth in the global traffic by 2041. In order to cater to this growth, Chinese airports must make substantial preparations for efficient operations, addressing evolving passenger needs, and implementing sustainable measures for environmental protection. We hope this MoU will further strengthen the already strong ties between our relationships with CCAA, and will serve as a platform to promote ACI programs to the airports in China as part of our mission to promote excellence in airport operations and management,” says ACI APAC and MID Director General Stefano Baronci.

The statement adds that during de Oliveira’s visit to China, another MoU was signed with Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport to formalise their role as host of the 2025 ACI World Customer Experience Summit & Exhibition. The annual gathering is the premier airport event dedicated to customer and employee experience and attracts more than 600 senior airport executives, civil aviation authority representatives, airport specialists and related business executives.

Chairman of Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport, Wang Xiaoyong in his statement reiterated the importance of taking the opportunity of attending the ACI World Customer Experience Summit and Exhibition in 2025 to learn and exchange with global civil aviation industry leaders in terms of customer experience, products, services and technologies, so to promote the comprehensive internationalisation of China’s airports.

“We are thrilled to announced that the 2025 Summit will be hosted by Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport. In 2019, the airport had more than 73 million passengers and was one of the busiest in China, and during the first year of the pandemic (2020) became the busiest airport in the world. Since 2020, they have respectively earned the spot of busiest airport in China and our preliminary results for 2023 reveal a top rank, with a recover rate of 86 pc or over 63 million passengers, in 2023. Their outstanding performance is a testament to their resilience and focus on the customer and employee experience, promising to be both a graciously welcoming and insightful host,” adds Oliveira.

Acting Mayor of Guangzhou Sun Zhiyang confirmed that as an international business centre and comprehensive transportation hub, with a profound history and culture, Guangzhou will give its full support to the ACI World Customer Experience Global Summit and Exhibition in 2025. Luis Felipe de Oliveira said that ACI World will actively work with Guangzhou Airport to promote deeper practical cooperation, and contribute to the high-quality development of Guangzhou’s international aviation hub.