Malaysia must be a strong voice in encouraging ASEAN member states to keep the regional open skies roadmap on track, says IATA’s Bisignani.
ASEAN has missed the December 2008 deadline to open markets between capital cities on a multilateral basis, said Giovanni Bisignani, director general and CEO of the International Air Transport Association (IATA).
“Malaysia must be a strong voice encouraging ASEAN member states to fulfill their obligations under the ASEAN Roadmap for the Integration of the Air Travel Sector (RIATS) and to meet the 2010 milestone.
“ASEAN must aim high. A single market including ownership liberalisation by 2015 would be a major leadership step forward,†said Bisignani speaking in Kuala Lumpur in advance of IATA’s 65th AGM, as he reiterated his frequent call for greater commercial freedoms enjoyed by other businesses.
“Markets are closed until governments negotiate them open, and foreign ownership restrictions have resulted in a hyper-fragmented industry of 3,200 players that is vulnerable to economic shocks. Airlines facilitated the global village. Because of outdated rules, we are the last to be able to take advantage. This crisis must be an opportunity to modernise,†said Bisignani.
Bisignani had praise on the other hand for IATA’s strategy of technology investment, efficient infrastructure, effective operations and positive economic measures, which he said was delivering positive results.
Bisignani pointed to aviation’s 2009 carbon footprint which he said would shrink by 4.5 per cent. Of this, 2.5 per cent derives from capacity reductions with the remaining 2 per cent a direct result of efficiency gains as a result of IATA’s Four Pillar Strategy.
Bisignani praised the continuous descent approach trials currently underway at Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) by Malaysia Airlines, Singapore Airlines and AirAsia as an example of the strategy.
“Each landing with a continuous descent approach has the potential to save between 160 kg and 480 kg of carbon through reduced fuel burn. That is good news for the environment and helps reduce the fuel bill,†said Bisignani who added that environment taxes were not the answer.