Airport industry launches its Manifesto for the new EU political cycle

BRUSSELS – Bringing together key political figures, policy makers and regulators together with industry representatives from the aviation and broader transport sectors, ACI Europe last night officially launched the airport industry’s contribution to the EU institutions and Member States on the future of transport policy – just as the EU is about to embark on a new political cycle spanning the next 5 years.

Presenting the Manifesto, ACI Europe President Armando Brunini, who is also CEO of SEA Milan Airports, referred to sustainability and decarbonisation as “the mother of all challenges” – with disruptive EU Fit for 55 regulations driving a radical transformation of aviation. He warned about the significant socio-economic and competitive impacts involved, urging the EU to address what he referred to as “the EU Fit for 55 implementation challenge”: “There is no doubt that the recently adopted SAF mandates, revised ETS rules and AFIR requirements are all needed to decarbonise aviation. But there is also no escaping the fact that these new rules are very disruptive and come with significant risks of reduced air connectivity and competitiveness. This will impact not just airports, but also the communities and regions they serve – with potentially far reaching consequences for cohesion and territorial equality. We are now facing a Fit for 55 implementation challenge – and that requires further adaptations and accompanying measures to make sure we effectively decarbonise without leaving any airport nor community behind.”

Accordingly, the primary strategic priority outlined by the ACI Europe Manifesto for EU transport policy is to enable the decarbonisation of aviation while at the same time preserving its socio-economic benefits through:

i)    Effective regulatory and financial support to ensure SAF production in Europe meets both the SAF mandates set by EU law and voluntary commitments from airlines – and also bridge the price gap with conventional fuels.

This requires a raft of accompanying measures from the inclusion of SAF in the scope of the ‘strategic Net Zero Technology’ under the EU Net Zero Industry Act to the extension of both, the SAF Accounting flexibility and the SAF allowance mechanisms (under RefuelEU and EU ETS) and further financial support for the development of SAF.

Accordingly, the primary strategic priority outlined by the ACI Europe Manifesto for EU transport policy is to enable the decarbonisation of aviation while at the same time preserving its socio-economic benefits through:

i)    Effective regulatory and financial support to ensure SAF production in Europe meets both the SAF mandates set by EU law and voluntary commitments from airlines – and also bridge the price gap with conventional fuels.

This requires a raft of accompanying measures from the inclusion of SAF in the scope of the ‘strategic Net Zero Technology’ under the EU Net Zero Industry Act to the extension of both, the SAF Accounting flexibility and the SAF allowance mechanisms (under RefuelEU and EU ETS) and further financial support for the development of SAF.

1. ACI Europe Position Paper on airport slots: https://go.aci-europe.org/e/1036123/ments-attachments-html-id-1961/3xtm25/326596006/h/kHyDxc9_rM3PjO8ITgXjHl-71kC-EL2cprhlKvUNMe8
2. The investment crunch faced by Europe’s airports results from the combination of: i) their debt and liabilities having increased by nearly 40 billion euros compared to pre-pandemic (2019), ii) structural operating cost increases due to inflationary pressures and iii) suboptimal and below inflation increases in aeronautical revenues (as of October 2023, airport charges at Europe’s airports had on average increased by just +13.6%.)  
3. 289 airports accounting for almost 80% of European passenger traffic are certified under Airport Carbon Accreditation. Last year, these airports achieved a CO2 reduction of -450.000 tonnes (-20%). 130 of these airports have set a target date by 2030 or earlier for achieving net zero from CO2 emissions under their direct control.

Tags:  Armando Brunini, ACI Europe