The following agenda has been approved by the ICAO Council during its 157th Session in June 1999:
Economic situation of airports, air navigation service providers and their financial relationships with air carriers and other users
Overview of: ownership and control (including transnational investment, ownership/management of multiple entities, alliances), financial and organizational structure in the provision of airports and air navigation services; and of the financial situation of providers in relation to that of air carriers and other users.
Organizational issues
Address of: commercialization, including private involvement (privatization and concessionary arrangements); obligations of autonomous entities; methods of regulating charges; setting performance standards and monitoring performance (including data requirements); and international cooperative or joint ventures (in financing, operations and/or charges collection), including joint financing, and related concepts addressed in Chapter XV of the Convention on International Civil Aviation and Assembly Resolution A16-10.
Funding issue
Evaluation of: needs, sources, capacity and mechanisms including public/private partnerships; preparatory requirements including sound and transparent accounting and cost recovery practices; economic planning, cost-benefit analysis including environmental cost effectiveness analysis; and development of business cases.
Determinants of the economic regulation of airports and air navigation services
Examination of: the role of the State; international obligations including those arising from Articles 15 and 28 of the Convention on International Civil Aviation (Doc 7300/7); the form of regulatory mechanisms and such features as protection from abuse of monopoly, particularly where it involves private interests, non-discrimination, scope of user charges, equity in cost recovery, competition in service provision (including, in the case of airports, ground handling), consultation with users and arbitration of disputes. Particular attention will be given in this context to capacity constraints and the issue of slot allocation.
ICAO policy
Broad-based evaluation and development of the principles contained in the Statements by the Council to Contracting States on Charges for Airports and Air Navigation Services (Doc 9082/5), encompassing:
5.1 Status, structure and form of ICAO policy
Clarity, precision and form of presentation of the Statements; dissemination and application of the principles in the Statements; need for transparency and publication of policy and practice on airport and air navigation service charges in States; related desirability for feedback and dissemination of application of the Statements.
5.2 Elements for consideration with regard to ICAO policy
Major principles such as non-discrimination; cost basis for charges; cost allocation; charging systems including currency aspects; and consultation with users; notably in the light of developments in, for example, marginal cost pricing, pre-funding of projects through charges, recovery of GNSS costs, costs of search and rescue services provided by the military, and reflection of the effect of organizational changes, with distinction where required to focus on:
5.2.1 Airport charging principles
Airport-specific charges such as landing, parking, passenger service, security and noise charges, and development of non-aeronautical revenues and their relevance in determining charges on air traffic.
5.2.2 Air navigation services charging principles
Charges specific to air navigation services such as route, and approach and aerodrome control charges.
Guidance and assistance by ICAO
Review of adequacy of activities and documents such as: Manuals and Circulars; workshop and seminar programme; assistance in cost-benefit analysis; development of business cases; seeking of financing; and cooperative cost-recovery, billing and collection schemes; also cooperation with other organizations
Note: Issues that may be relevant specifically to airports or air navigation services will be addressed separately under individual agenda items following discussion of common issues.
