Delivering the keynote speech at the event, Enrico Letta, President of the Jacques Delors Institute and former Prime Minister of Italy said: “Air connectivity is one of the fundamental pillars of European integration and cohesion, and indeed the future of our EU Single Market depends very much on the resilience and effective decarbonisation of our transport systems. By highlighting the far‑reaching benefits linked to our airport infrastructure, the study released today by ACI EUROPE tells us we need more than just to safeguard our Single Aviation Market, but also to make sure it supports and enables our green growth trajectory”.
GOING BEYOND ECONOMIC IMPACT
For the first time, this study not only quantifies aviation’s economic impact — but also the many ways in which air connectivity drives extensive social benefits. By measuring air connectivity’s association with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals3, SEO Amsterdam Economics has produced quantifiable evidence that every 10% increase in direct air connectivityis correlated with: - a 14% drop in poverty rates;
- a 9% boost in access to education;
- an 8.5% increase in investment in Research & Development;
- notable gains in gender equality (+19%) and life satisfaction (+1.2%).
THE GREAT PARADOX & TIME FOR A NEW EU AVIATION DEAL
Joining the findings of the SEO Amsterdam Economics Study with the clear recommendations made by the Letta and Draghi reports, Armando Brunini, President of ACI EUROPE and CEO of SEA Milan Airports said: “Ultimately, the SEO Amsterdam Economics study quantifies the extent to which airports and air connectivity are essential to our European way of life and prosperity. As such, there should be no doubt about their position as key strategic assets for the EU — in regard to both its competitiveness and the need to leave no one behind in the green transition. But then, reality hits… and that reality can be best described as ‘the great paradox’. Over the past years, aviation has been faced with largely unsupportive and disjointed policies at EU and national levels, in particular when it comes to decarbonisation — the mother of all our challenges — and infrastructure bottlenecks”.
He added: “That needs to change. The Letta and Draghi reports warn about the urgent need for the EU to address its structural lack of competitiveness so as to preserve its social model and deliver on its green ambitions. That requires ensuring the aviation sector gets the right policy and financial support to decarbonise in ways that allow to safeguard its extensive economic and social benefits. For that, we need a new Aviation Deal for Europe — and that must start with including aviation within the Clean Industrial Deal that President von der Leyen is set to table early next year”. |
