Justin Erbacci, Director General of ACI World, spoke to Holly Miles about why culture, leadership and shared accountability for innovation are essential if airports are to modernise safely while meeting rising operational and workforce pressures.
Airports are no longer held back by a lack of ideas. According to Justin Erbacci, Director General of ACI World, the bigger challenge is turning innovation into operational reality while managing daily complexity, workforce shortages and rising expectations from passengers and regulators.
Speaking at the Airports Innovate event in Busan, South Korea, he noted that innovation in aviation increasingly depends on culture, leadership and the ability of stakeholders to collaborate effectively.
“We’re not short of ideas. In innovation, we’re challenged with the implementation of those ideas,” he said. “What’s really important is learning how people have been successful in implementing change and innovation, because it’s not easy.”
Implementing innovation while maintaining operations
For Erbacci, the core value of innovation events is not just in sharing concepts, but learning how others have overcome the barriers to delivery.
“The importance of this event is to get key people who are conducting innovations in the same area to be able to show off what they’ve done, the innovations that they have successfully implemented,” he explained.
In his view, the industry has already harvested much of the ‘low hanging fruit’. Future gains will require airports to accept that experimentation in a live operational environment carries risk, and that this must be actively managed, not avoided.
That hesitancy is understandable in safety- and security-critical environments, but it can also slow transformation. The airports that gain a competitive advantage will be those that learn how to de-risk testing and scaling, rather than staying with the status quo.
Leadership and culture as critical enablers
Erbacci emphasised that leadership commitment is the strongest predictor of whether innovation can take hold. Airports must view innovation not as a standalone function but as a shared organisational mindset.
“Organisationally, the most important thing is that leadership supports the ability to innovate and makes clear that innovation is everyone’s job,” he said. “The CEO needs to embrace this philosophy. And if you don’t, you’re going to have challenges.”
Curiosity, creativity and the willingness to challenge established practices are becoming essential job criteria.
Recruiting the right talent is equally important. He argued that curiosity, creativity and the willingness to challenge established practices are becoming essential job criteria.
“You need to make sure that you’re bringing in people who are creative, who think out of the box… people who have that innovative, creative way of thinking, and are always going to challenge whether we can do things better.”
The message is clear: future-ready airports will be built as much by HR and leadership choices as by CAPEX programmes and technology roadmaps.
Automation and AI reshaping airport workforces
Workforce shortages are accelerating the use of automation across airside and landside operations, particularly in labour‑intensive or repetitive roles.
“Automation is going to be an important aspect of the airport because of workforce shortages,” Erbacci said. “Ground handling staff and bus drivers are some of the most difficult [roles to fill] right now for airports, and automated tugs and buses are helping with this.”
He stressed that automation is not designed to eliminate jobs but to move people into higher‑value roles.
Artificial intelligence (AI), meanwhile, is seen as a tool to support staff rather than replace them.
“AI is going to make jobs easier because we’re not at the point where AI can take over completely,” he stated. Preserving the human element remains essential. “We don’t want to lose the experiential, empathetic, face‑to‑face encounters for those who want it. AI cannot deliver that yet.”
Collaboration across the airport ecosystem
Erbacci repeatedly returns to the need for stronger collaboration between airports, government agencies, airlines, ground handlers and concessionaires.
“Nobody can move the needle by themselves anymore,” he said. “We’ve all picked the low hanging fruit. But, to really be successful and move forward, we need everybody working together towards the same objective.”
This begins with government support:
“If you don’t have a government that understands the strategic importance of an airport… you’re already playing with one hand behind your back.”
He also highlighted airports that hold regular cross‑industry stakeholder meetings as examples of best practice.
“What I’ve seen successful airports do is have regular stakeholder group meetings with the airlines, ground handlers, government agencies, security and border force. This helps to align activities better and address some of the conflicts that exist at airports.”
These conversations help manage commercial tensions, including charges and cost pressures, before they affect service quality.
In conclusion, it seems we are now at a stage where innovation depends less on generating ideas and more on an airport’s capacity to deliver them safely. As Justin highlights, success will come from leadership that empowers its staff, creates space to test new approaches, and builds stronger collaboration with partners. Airports that embed innovation into everyday culture, rather than isolating it, will be best placed to adapt to rising operational complexity in the future.
Justin Erbacci began his current role as Director General of Airports Council International (ACI) World in September 2024. A seasoned aviation professional and visionary leader with a proven track record, Justin previously served as Chief Executive Officer – Airports at NEOM in Saudi Arabia and as Chief Executive Officer of Los Angeles World Airports (LAWA). Justin also excelled as Chief Operating Officer, Chief IT and Commercial Strategy Officer and Chief IT and Innovation Officer at LAWA.
Prior to his tenure at LAWA, Justin was Vice President of Customer Experience and Technology at the airline alliance Star Alliance Services GmbH. His ability to drive innovation and leverage technology was developed during his IT leadership roles at major global companies such as Credit Suisse and United Airlines. Earlier, he gained experience at management consultancies, including Cambridge Management Consultants and Deloitte and Touche. He also practised law as a civil rights defence litigator.
Justin holds a Master of Business Administration degree from the Vienna School of Economics/University of South Carolina, a Juris Doctor degree from Loyola University of Chicago’s School of Law, and a Bachelor of Arts from Loyola University of Chicago.
