ACI EUROPE, ASA, ACA and ETRC call on EC for urgent measures

ACI EUROPE, ASA, ACA and the ETRC are jointly requesting urgent supporting measures for airport operators and service providers at airports, in light of the COVID-19 pandemic.

In a joint letter to the European Commission, the organisations have set out details of the measures they wish to see urgently adopted by the EU/EEA and/or Member States and Switzerland, to support airport operators, ground handlers, airline caterers and travel retailers.

They are calling upon the European Commission to:

• Promote a European Aviation Relief Programme fully coordinated with EU/EEA States, Switzerland and industry stakeholders
• Ensure that on top of their comprehensive supporting measures to airlines, Member States also implement comprehensive, inclusive and non-disciminatory support to the entire aviation ecosystem
• Ensure that EU and national supporting measures adopted do not benefit one actor at the expense of another actor in the aviation ecosystem.

This joint effort comes following the requests submitted individually by the respective trade associations, and the adoption by the Commission of a comprehensive temporary State aid framework allowing for full flexibility in adopting supporting measures for those sectors and companies most impacted by the current COVID-19 pandemic.

The organisations have detailed an extensive list of what can be done. The objectives all share the same aim: Addressing operational and business continuity risks before they materialise and allowing airport operators and service providers at airports to be ready when the recovery comes – so that they can, together with airlines, boost the rest of the economy.

The letter was signed by Olivier Jankovic, Director General of ACI, Fabio Gamba, Director General of ACA & ASA, and Julie Lassaigne, Secretary General of the ETRC.

Assuming current travel restrictions and flight bans would be lifted towards the end of April and followed by a gradual recovery in demand for air transport, ACI EUROPE’s revised assessment of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic is for a loss of more than 700 million passengers at Europe’s airports in 2020. This represents a €14 billion hit in lost revenues for Europe’s airport operators.