ACI EUROPE reposted this
The speech delivered yesterday evening by the UK Transport Secretary, Heidi Alexander, at the annual AirportsUK dinner in London could not be clearer: 1. Aviation and air connectivity are essential for the country's competitiveness, development and global positioning. 2. Expanding airport capacity is a top policy priority - and this must and can be reconciled with the UK's sustainability & net zero goals. 3. The UK Government supports expansion at Heathrow and London Gatwick and is set to make an announcement about capacity at London Luton Airport shortly... What a contrast to the way the EU is just not prioritising aviation: from the European Commission ignoring the sector's plea for an aviation strategy 2.0 (and seemingly thinking that all will be fine with the SAF mandates...) - to a number of Member States capping airport capacity or doubling down on taxation. As I listened to Alexander in the spendid ballroom of the JW Marriott Grosvenor House London, I could not help thinking about the irony that post-Brexit UK is actually the one following on the Draghi report on the Competitiveness of the EU when it comes to our sector... It was also great to catch-up today with Dr Rannia Leontaridi OBE and her team at Department for Transport (DfT), United Kingdom as well as with Giancarlo Buono , MSc FRAeS at Civil Aviation Authority. With passenger traffic to/from the UK accounting for up to 32% of volumes for EU States, there is no doubt the UK and EU aviation markets have remained closely integrated. Yet, there is scope to improve cooperation and alignment - especially on safety issues. The UK is not just another “third country” and the new geopolitical environment we are facing only confirms that. The forthcoming EU-UK Summit next May should provide the opportunity to progress also on aviation matters. Many thanks to Karen Dee and her team for a fantastic evening as well as to Simon Argyle for the longstanding and always fruitful cooperation.