The general assembly meeting of the Airports Council International, the world’s largest gathering of airports, kicks off in Seoul on Monday, with more than 800 airport executives and other air transport leaders from 73 countries in attendance.

Incheon International Airport, which has been named as the world best airport for several years, will be hosting the three-day event at Coex in Samseong-dong, Seoul. It is the first time that the ACI’s annual general meeting will be held in Korea.

“This year’s event will present a clearer picture of changes encountered and suggest better methods of mutual cooperation, which would in turn contribute to the development of international air transport,” said Choi Hong-yeol, Incheon International Airport’s acting president.

The ACI, a nonprofit association of some 1,800 global airport operators, was established in 1991 with aims to strengthen airport operation and management and also to establish international standards.

The 2014 meeting will be the largest-ever as it is a rare combination of the ACI World and Asia-Pacific assemblies that are usually held separately.

The second day of the event will begin with South Korea’s Transport Minister Seo Seung-hwan’s welcome address, followed by a keynote speech by Olumuyiwa Benard Aliu, president of the International Civil Aviation Organization.

Under the theme of “Serving the Customer and the Community,” top aviation professionals, including ACI Asia-Pacific president Tan Sri Bashir Abdul Majid, Brussels Airport CEO Arnaud Feist and Changi Airport chief information officer Steve Lee will also deliver speeches at the conference.

On the sidelines of the event, a trade show, which will bring together airports, service providers to showcase their latest infrastructure developments and technology, will lure visitors.

During a gala dinner Tuesday, an awarding ceremony for the annual Airport Service Quality will be held to celebrate this year’s winners. Incheon International Airport is expected to receive top honors in two categories: the Asia-Pacific, and airports with 25 million to 40 million users.

By Park Han-na (hnpark@heraldcorp.com)