Reacting to the opening of the new, fourth runway at Frankfurt Airport by the German Chancellor Angela Merkel, European airport trade body ACI Europe applauded the news, but warned that Europe still needs to come to terms with airport expansion, if it wants to maintain its global relevance.

Olivier Jankovec, Director General ACI Europe, commented “My sincere congratulations to Fraport and all the team at Frankfurt Airport today, as they open their brand new runway. With a new hub airport opening next year in Berlin and another runway due to open in 2015 at Munich Airport, Germany is clearly capitalising on airport development to boost its competitive position.”

Successful economies around the world are relying on airport infrastructure to foster their economic growth. This is particularly the case in emerging countries, where airport development is treated as a strategic national priority, leading to massive airport investment. China is a case in point, with 78 new airports to be completed by 2020. The UAE is another example, with available airport capacity expected to be in excess of 150 million passengers by that date – coming close to the volume of traffic currently handled by the top 3 European hub airports.

Conversely, Europe is lagging behind, facing a critical airport capacity crunch that both national governments and the EU seem to be ignoring. Yet, with air traffic set to nearly double by 2030, the lack of matching airport capacity will result in unprecedented congestion², preventing an estimated 260 million passengers from flying. This reflects the array of impediments faced by Europe’s airports in getting their license to operate and grow, from inadequate planning processes to operational restrictions and lack of political support.

Looking ahead, airport capacity is the most threatening bottleneck for Europe’s competitive position, especially given our ever-growing dependence on trade with the new economic powerhouses of Asia and Latin America.

Jankovec added “Germany is becoming one of a handful of exceptions in the European landscape. Too many other countries are putting their heads in the sand and the EU has yet to show us that it is coming to grips with the fact that airports are the primary enablers of Europe’s connectivity. Europe’s global relevance will pay a high price, if the airport capacity crunch continues to go unaddressed.”