Sydney — Governments must urgently tackle a capacity crisis facing airports as demand for international travel grows, but they should be cautious about private sector involvement, the International Air Transport Association (Iata) warned on Monday. Iata has also cut its profit target for the global aviation market for 2018, despite the expected increase in passenger numbers. Passenger levels projected to nearly double to 7.8-billion by 2036, infrastructure such as airports and air traffic control systems were not keeping pace, the airline industry group said. Major airports have sought to address the crisis by managing slots — giving airlines specific operating rights at particular times. But there was still a need for new airports, Iata director-general and CEO Alexandre de Juniac said at the body’s annual meeting in Sydney. “We are in a capacity crisis. And we don’t see the required airport infrastructure investment to solve it,” he said, adding that cash-strapped governments were...
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