Cairo, 26/02/2024 (MAP) – The 71st edition of the Airports Council International - Africa Section (ACI Africa) regional conference and exhibition opened in Cairo on Monday, with the participation of a host of specialists and players in the airport sector in Africa, including Morocco.

The Kingdom is represented at this event, which continues until March 1 and is themed "Airports: a locomotive for sustainable social and economic growth" by a delegation led by Mrs. Habiba LAKLALECH, CEO of the Moroccan Airports Authority (ONDA).

Over 40 exhibitors from Africa's pioneering air service companies, including the Moroccan pavilion, will present aviation-related innovations, goods, ideas, and plans.

Mrs. LAKLALECH indicated in a statement to MAP that ONDA is participating in the work of the regional conference of ACI Africa, to which African airports are affiliated and whose headquarters are in Morocco, and that the Kingdom is an active and major member in the conference's meetings, through proposals and initiatives aimed at strengthening bilateral and multidimensional cooperation between African airports.

This event is an ideal opportunity to share Moroccan experience in implementing the principles of sustainable development, said ONDA's CEO.

Speaking at the opening of the conference, Emanuel Chaves, President of ACI Africa, stated that this event provides an opportunity to close business deals and strengthen ties and partnerships between partners in the aeronautics industry, fostering development, investment, and progress, as well as creating numerous job opportunities in this field.

In this regard, Mr. Chaves emphasized the necessity of economic and social organization as the cornerstone of African air transport liberalization, highlighting the role of support for sector-enhancing activities.

He also stressed the importance of airports as economic hubs for advancement, flexibility, competence, and sustainability, stating that the conference's work will focus on the challenges and issues facing Africa's air transport sector, as well as future prospects.

The conference's work focuses on the strategic importance of airports as pillars of economic and social development and sustainable development, their role in achieving sustainability in the face of financial challenges, infrastructure development, skill enhancement, and social inclusion, as well as the consolidation of countries' social and economic evolution and long-term commitment to sustainability.

The conference also looks at investment in airport infrastructure, which is critical to the global economy, particularly in light of governments' inability to cover investment costs to support the expected increase in air traffic, as well as the challenges faced and efforts to meet future air traffic needs in Africa, all while considering the compatibility of new projects with economic sustainability and environmental and social responsibility.