Carolyn
McCall, CEO of easyJet, encouraged the EU to break down the
remaining walls of protectionism in European aviation on slots and
ground handling.
Speaking
at the European Aviation Club before an audience of MEPs, EU
officials, academics and aviation industry representatives, she urged
the EU to continue the liberalisation of European aviation that was
launched with the opening of Europe’s skies in 1994."Europe’s free market created a revolution in European aviation. It has given airlines like easyJet the chance to grow across Europe to meet passenger demand. In the years since then, passengers across Europe have benefited from 170% more routes at fares 40% lower.
"Smaller cities and regions across Europe now have aviation links they never had before, stimulating trade and tourism and providing the platform for economic growth.
"Despite the best intentions of Europe's single aviation market we too often find that we are being held back by the defensive walls of protectionism which still shield airports, airlines and ground handling from the benefits of true and full competition.
"In particular, Europe must now press ahead with reform of the allocation of slots at airports to enable new entrants to build up enough frequencies to mount serious challenges to the legacy operators and overhaul the archaic practices around ground handling to ensure there is real competition at every airport.
"If the EU pushes through these reforms European consumers will benefit from more new routes, more services and lower fares."
easyJet is a product of the EU Single Market. Since it was established in the UK in 1995, easyJet has grown to become the fourth largest airline in Europe and now flies more than 58 million passengers per year. This success has been achieved by providing affordable and convenient flights, with safety as the number one priority. The airline has grown because it has provided what passengers want at a price they like.
easyJet welcomes initiatives from Brussels that help airlines improve their passengers’ experience and create the right incentives for airlines to use airport infrastructure more efficiently.
However, easyJet is concerned that some elements of the Airports Package proposals rely too heavily on extra rules that will reduce its ability to serve its passengers well and make it more difficult to keep prices at a reasonable level.
Slots
easyJet encourages the EU to press ahead with reform of the allocation of slots at airports to enable new entrants to build up enough frequencies to mount serious challenges to the legacy operators.
easyJet strongly supports an increase in the new entrant threshold in order to promote stronger challengers to the established carriers.
easyJet also supports secondary trading to encourage the efficient use of slots.
easyJet does not see local rules as the answer to this problem - a patchwork of rules risks creating incoherence.
Ground Handling
easyJet believes that ground handlers should face the same breadth of competition that their customers, the airlines, do to ensure that there is real competition at every airport and serious competitive pressure on suppliers to improve the service they offer.
On self-handling, easyJet strongly supports giving airlines the freedom to take control of their own ground handling when they aren't happy with the services offered at an airport.
easyJet also believes that requiring three licences at big European airports instead of two is important because it means the difference between healthy competition and a high cost duopoly.
However, easyJet strongly disagrees with third parties setting minimum quality standards – easyJet knows what its customers need and want, and knows that if quality is poor it will sell fewer tickets.
easyJet does not think poor ground handlers should be protected with longer licences and subcontracting limits - if a ground handler is bad, they should not keep their place at the airport for ten years.
