Discussions To Focus On Link With Increased Air Traffic

Vancouver plays host to this year's International Air Transport Association's (IATA) three-day annual meeting that started Sunday, with the link between global warming and increased air traffic high on the agenda.

"This year, one of the top issues is going to be the environment," said IATA spokesman Anthony Concil.

"It's at the top of several policymakers' agendas - the United Nations is going to discuss it in September within their civil aviation organization ICAO," said Concil. He added that airlines have made some progress in efforts to reduce greenhouse-gas emissions.

More than 150 airline chief executives, as well as top management from airports, civil aviation authorities, manufacturers and non-governmental organizations are expected to attend the three-day event.

IATA represents some 250 airlines, or 94 percent of scheduled international air traffic.

Industry leaders are also expected to focus on security issues and how to standardize national security standards.

"We've had a good start with the liquids and gels control procedure, but the overall procedures are not harmonized enough," Concil said.

Liberalization of the aviation sector is also on the agenda; the first phase of an open-skies agreement between the US and the European Union begins this October. China and the US also recently agreed to develop air traffic between the two countries.

Two other subjects may fuel debate among members: the undertaking by 95 percent of member airlines of a safety audit certified by IATA, called IOSA, and a December 31 deadline for all member airlines to use only electronic ticketing.

Monday IATA reveals its latest financial forecasts, which are expected to confirm a healthy recovery from soaring gas prices and the plummet that followed September 11.

IATA already sharply revised upward its 2007 estimate in April, with increases in tourism and airline transport influenced by a robust global economy.

ANN reported in March that the global airlines body had raised its 2007 forecast for an industry-wide profit -- the first in six years -- to $7.2 billion in 2007, up from $6.2 billion previously.

"We've made some progress but we're still in the single-digit billion profits and we should reach the double-digit," Concil said.

These latest IATA figures validate the current steadiness of the market. During the first four months of this year, air passenger traffic increased by 6.7 percent from the same period a year ago, eclipsing a 2.6 percent rise in cargo traffic.

"Demand is better than expected," said IATA, led by the strong markets of the Middle East, up 17.6 percent, and Africa, up 10.1 percent.

The meeting will be the 63rd annual gathering for the association, which was founded in 1945 in Havana, Cuba.

FMI: www.iata.org , www.icao.int