Brussels, 23 November 2017
In a meeting today with the European Commissioner for Transport, Violeta Bulc, AIRE airline CEOs called for urgent improvements in the most critical air transport policies. They requested significant progress towards a more cost-efficient infrastructure in the EU as well as higher levels of harmonisation and standardisation of EU rules.
The Director General of AIRE, Sylviane Lust commented: “We must now see concrete steps to address the unjustifiable cost of the EU infrastructure. Airports have shown through a number of criteria that they have significant market power and hence they must be subject to economic regulation at EU level. Other monopoly providers of Air Navigation Services keep increasing their profits while not delivering the required capacity. Airlines and their passengers need a strong EU regulator to prevent these monopolies from abusing their position. A thriving airline sector will result in a wider choice for passengers, an objective that the EU liberalisation process should continue to pursue.”
AIRE’s newly appointed President Rafal Milczarski added: “For the benefit of air passengers, Air Navigation Service Providers should through effective EU regulation be forced to cap their Service Unit Rates at the maximum level of €50. We also need to subject the European Network Manager to an economic regulation with the aim of improving its efficiency and reducing its cost by 10% per annum.”
AIRE members also insisted on the need for airlines to operate in a standardised and harmonised environment and called upon the Commission to drive Member States towards more harmonised implementation of rules in areas such as safety, security and border control.
At the meeting with Commissioner Bulc, AIRE airlines reiterated that the Association is a reliable and expert industry partner, strongly engaged in the EU stakeholders’ consultation process, in the governance of the industry-led bodies and in the social dialogue.
Sylviane Lust commented: “AIRE is at the forefront of EU regulatory activity both in economic and technical aspects. We offer first rate expertise and actively participate in a number of EU policy-making processes, such as airport charges, implementation of the Single European Sky, slots, harmonisation and standardisation of safety and security standards, passenger rights, environment and border control issues”.
AIRE President Rafal Milczarski concluded: “Our organisation stands for and will strive for competition, good policy-making and achieving a level playing field within the airline industry in the EU and beyond. We invite all like-minded airlines to join our efforts and build a sustainable future for aviation.”
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For further information, please contact:
AIRE
Koen Vermeir
Director Aeropolitical and Industry Affairs
Tel: +32 (0) 2 546 10 60
email: koen.vermeir@aire.aero