EU aviation policy lacks vision, say regional airlines

Monday, July 11th, 2011 - 12:52 pm - Travel Articles

Aviation in Europe is facing an unclear future under current plans, the European Regions Airline Association has said.

The European Commission (EC) published a roadmap for the future of transport, which has been criticized by the ERA .

The aviation body said the EC had missed an opportunity to set out a clear vision for aviation in Europe.

The EC’s white paper outlined a blueprint to cut carbon emissions by 60% by 2050.

Under the plans, 40% of the fuels used in aviation will need to be from sustainable low carbon sources, and the Single European Sky scheme must be fully functional.

While the ERA board members welcomed the paper’s recognition of the importance of the Single European Sky, they expressed “significant concerns” on other aspects.

The white paper failed to recognize on-going environmental improvements made by air transport, the ERA said in a statement, and to address the lack of airport capacity in Europe.

It also ignored the “massive subsidies” applied to rail and advocated a policy of “deliberate market manipulation towards rail”.

Mike Ambrose, ERA’s director general, said: “The inconsistent and contradictory arguments that litter this Paper show that opposing forces are at work which the Commission must address before developing any future transport policies.”

The ERA believes that free market principles of consumer choice and fair competition across and within modes of transport can be achieved, said Ambrose.

“However, it is vital that Regulators understand and work with the industry, as progress can only be achieved by using a partnership approach that involves industry at every step of the decision making process.”

The ERA board includes members from KLM, Aer Arann and Aegean, among others.

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