SINGAPORE — The airport and air traffic control infrastructure in Asia needs to be ramped up to keep pace with passenger growth, as new airlines cash in on the burgeoning demand for air travel in the region, said the director general and chief executive of the International Air Transport Association (Iata), Mr Alexandre de Juniac, yesterday.

“It is a key concern as the regional airport and air traffic control infrastructure has not grown along with the passenger traffic growth. We have been urging the governments to take note and build accordingly,” Mr De Juniac told reporters at the Iata World Financial Symposium in Singapore.

Singapore has been planning for expansion for many years. Pointing to initiatives to boost infrastructure at Changi Airport with the new T5 and additional runways, Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore (CAAS) director-general Shum Jin-Chyi said: “Our capacity investments extend beyond airport infrastructure to air space management. The introduction of new air traffic management technologies have contributed significantly to efficiencies of the airlines operating here.”

Mr Shum singled out the automatic dependent surveillance – broadcast (ADS–B), which allows an aircraft’s position to be determined via satellite and for it to broadcast the location, enabling it to be tracked.

“With ADS-B, we have increased airspace capacity to provide additional flights with more efficient cruising altitudes,” he said. “Since implementation, it has saved airlines some 4,000 tonnes of fuel. We will continue to do more.”

Changi Airport currently operates two runways, serving its three terminals as well as the upcoming Terminal 4. The airport is adding a third runway as part of the development of Changi East, which will house the new passenger terminal T5. T5 is scheduled to begin operations by the middle of the next decade and is expected to process up to 50 million passengers a year, taking Changi Airport’s passenger handling capacity to 140 million a year.

Globally, the airline industry is forecast to deliver a record collective net profit of US$39.4 billion (S$53.3 billion) this year, buoyed by lower fuel prices, said Iata.

“We are having a very good year,” said Mr De Juniac, although he noted the uneven profitability across regions. Despite the rise in demand, airlines in the Asia-Pacific are expected to earn only about US$7.8 billion, as the increased capacity and intense competition in the region has led to a decline in passenger yield this year, said Iata.