IATA has called on governments in Europe to create a sustainable aviation industry that protects the environment and increases connectivity opportunities for Europe’s citizens.
The call came at the opening of Wings of Change Europe – a gathering of aviation stakeholders taking place in Berlin, Germany, from November 19-20, 2019.
Alexandre de Juniac, IATA’s director general and CEO, highlighted that the airline industry faces considerable challenges in Europe, due to an infrastructure crisis, high costs, and unhelpful regulations. Among the challenges he cited were:
• The challenges of the capacity crisis, with airports unable to expand;
• Increasing costs, particularly charges by monopolistic airports;
• Inefficient airspace management, leading to increased delays and emissions;
• Regulations such as EU261 on passenger rights, proposals to eliminate seasonable time changes and pressure to diverge from the Worldwide Slot Guidelines, all of which move the industry in the wrong competitiveness direction.
“This shows that – despite the European Aviation Strategy – we still have a lot of work to do to ensure that governments work with the industry in partnership for the greater goal: an efficient and sustainably connected Europe,” de Juniac said.
The Wings of Change event also saw more than 30 airlines commit to ‘25by2025’, designed to increase female employment at senior and under-represented levels within the industry.