The 4th Annual ACI EUROPE Regional Airports conference & exhibition was hosted by Cagliari Airport, Sardinia and in cooperation with Routes Europe. The theme of this year’s event was “Enhancing the competitive position of Regional Airports – key to survival and development” and it brought together 150 delegates from regional airports, local and national authorities, the European Commission, airlines and ACI EUROPE World Business Partners…
The 4th Annual ACI EUROPE Regional Airports conference & exhibition was hosted by Cagliari Airport, Sardinia and in cooperation with Routes Europe.
The theme of this year’s event was “Enhancing the competitive position of Regional Airports – key to survival and development” and it brought together 150 delegates from regional airports, local and national authorities, the European Commission, airlines and ACI EUROPE World Business Partners.
Over the last 10 years, traffic at Europe’s regional airports has grown by over 50% and in 2010, they handled in excess of 680 million passengers. These figures illustrate how Europe’s regional airports play an essential role in the fabric of European mobility, connecting the continent and fostering economic and social cohesion. Proximity to an airport continues to be one of the key deciders for businesses looking to invest in any region.
While 2010 also saw a recovery for regional airports with an increase of +3.5% in passenger traffic, the picture has remained extremely contrasted. Some have kept losing traffic – and there have even
been cases of airports shutting their doors or coming very close to doing so, in particular in the UK, Germany and Spain – while others have been booming. This just shows how regional airports are heavily exposed to airlines shifting their aircraft and crews in search of the best marketplace.
Tonci Peovic, newly appointed Chairman of the Regional Airports’ Forum and Director of Zagreb Airport, Croatia commented “The competitive pressures on regional airports keep increasing and yet, regulations in Europe remain largely inadequate. They are rooted in a one-size-fits-all approach which does not take into account our economic and operational specificities.”
He added “With the European Commission set to review several regulations and policies directly affecting airports in the coming months, there is a unique opportunity to consider a more tailor-made regime,
which recognises these specificities. This should be the case in particular in relation to safety and security, as well as state aid.”
Olivier Jankovec, Director General ACI EUROPE commented “There is abundant untapped potential in Europe’s regional airports and with economic regeneration high on the national agendas, it’s high time
that governments recognised the influence that they wield over the fate of regional airports. Punitive aviation taxes in the UK, but also now in Germany and Austria are actively damaging the competitive position of regional airports in these countries and with it, those national economies.”
He added “Here in Italy, the government still has to get its act together in ending the unjustified freezing of airport charges that has strangled Italian airports for more than 10 years – jeopardizing much needed infrastructure modernisation and development.”
Theodore is the Co-Founder and Managing Editor of TravelDailyNews Media Network; his responsibilities include business development and planning for TravelDailyNews long-term opportunities.
