Global aviation officials agreed that the burgeoning aviation industry requires a broader talent pool, the Airports Council International assembly said in a press conference at Coex in southern Seoul on Wednesday.

“We need to broaden the pool for aviation talent and attract more people into the industry,” said Angela Gittens, the director general of ACI world.

The demand for aviation industry personnel and facilities is growing rapidly all over the world, and this is especially so for the Asia-Pacific region, according to the conference participants. 

In order to meet these demands and to expand the capacity of airports, new and diverse talents ― as well as cooperation between these different talent fields ― and more people with the right expertise are needed, according to Rick Piccolo, chair of ACI world.

“The board has taken a great interest in human resources and succession planning as of late, and these things were also discussed and mentioned during the assembly,” said Piccolo.

“The talent program must extend to all fields, not just airport operations,” added Tan Sri Bashir Ahmad Abdul Majid, the president of ACI Asia-Pacific.

While broadening the general talent pool is crucial, the talent program endorsed by ACI is working hard to attract more women based on the notion that so far, the aviation industry has traditionally been a male-dominated field, Gittens said.

“In respect to the overall conference, this year was indeed the largest and one of the most successful assemblies hosted, with up to 1,000 attendees (the next largest being 600),” she added. “And its success could be attributed to the fact that the opportunity to come through Incheon airport and experience first hand its legendary services was enough to attract many in the airport industry ― not to mention the excellent hospitality that was received in Seoul.”

The ACI General Assembly kicked off this week in South Korea. On the sidelines of the meeting, Incheon International Airport, South Korea’s main transportation hub, was awarded Airport Council International’s 2014 Airport Service Quality Awards for the ninth consecutive year.

By Kim Joo-hyun (jhk@heraldcorp.com)