The Committee on Transport and Tourism adopted the\nown-initiative report by Philip BRADBOURN (ECR, UK) on the future\nof regional airports and air services in the EU.
\nThe report notes that regional aviation, like other\nmodes of transport, is a key enabler in citizens’ mobility. It\nstresses that improved connectivity and efficient inter-modal\nmobility can contribute considerably to better access to the\nregions, to business, tourism and the development of related\nservices, and to the spread of economic prosperity.
\nThe committee makes the following\nrecommendations:
\nEconomics of regional air\nservices: the report underlines the\nneed for a public service obligation for air services of\neconomic and public interest, especially those connecting\nremote regions, islands and the outermost regions, in order to\nensure their full accessibility and territorial integration.\nMembers believe that such services would not be economically viable\nwithout public money.
\nThey believe that it is desirable to avoid a\nproliferation of regional airports, and note that the\ndevelopment of regional airports should be targeted in order to\navoid the creation of unused or not efficiently used airport\ninfrastructures which would result in an economic burden for the\nauthorities responsible. They maintain, on the contrary, that\nexisting links should be strengthened, especially in areas\n(islands, for example) suffering from geographical\nhandicaps.
\nThe Commission is asked to review\nDecision 2012/21/EU on the application of Article 106(2),\nby means of which the threshold for which an airport can receive\nstate aid without having to notify the Commission was decreased to\n200 000 passengers per year, bearing in mind the\nCommunity Guidelines (2005/C312/01) which state that an airport can\nbecome cost-efficient with a traffic of over\n500 000 passengers per year.
\nThe committee takes the view that national and\nregional authorities should properly support regional airports, on\naccount of the latter’s environmental and economic impact.\nRegional airports should also be subject to local and regional\nconsultation, and – on the basis of cost-benefit analyses\n– be considered eligible to apply for financing under EU\nfunds, as well as other EU-funded financial engineering\ninstruments within the new programming framework. The Commission is\nasked to:
\n\n· \ntake into consideration the opportunities\noffered by regional airports as part of the European central\ntransport network;
\n\n· \ntake a balanced approach in future revisions of\naviation guidelines in order to provide for a socially and\neconomically viable development of regional air\nservices,
\n\n· \nin supporting the development of regional\nairports and the construction of new regional airports (especially\nin countries whose national airports are situated in remote areas),\nto pay particular regard to the balanced territorial development of\nregions corresponding to levels I and II of the Nomenclature of\nTerritorial Statistical Units (NUTS).
\nThe report stresses that adequate development of\nregional airports contributes to parallel development of the\ntourist system, which is a vitally important area for many\nEuropean regions. It calls on the Commission to take account of the\nspecific nature and problems of these seasonal regional airports\nwhen adopting new legislation for the sector.
\nRegional airports are becoming more and more important\nfor charter airlines as well as for low-cost carriers.\nMembers expresses concern that certain practices of low-cost\nairlines, which often operate from regional airports, lead to\npoorer quality of service for passengers and a deterioration in\nworking conditions.
\nThey call on the Commission to guarantee the\ncorrect application of European and national legislation on\nairlines’ social conditions and terms of employment, so\nthat staff employed at a regional airport do not become victims of\nsocial dumping and so that fair competition and a level playing\nfield can be ensured in the aviation sector.
\nMembers are also concerned by ‘one-bag’ rule\nand other restrictions to the cabin baggage allowance imposed by\ncertain airlines. They take the view that these practices represent\na breach of competition law, and believe that these restrictions\nmay constitute an abuse of a carrier’s position. They call,\ntherefore, on Member States to set common upper limits to be\nimposed on airlines with regard to such restrictions and consider\nthat any checks relating to luggage weight restrictions and size\nshould be made before arrival at the departure gate.
\nThe report also considers that goods transport\nis a positive factor for regional airports which can further\ndevelopment and jobs, not least through the establishment of\nrelated ground services and of businesses linked to regional\nairports. It calls on the Commission to draw up a strategy that\nwill promote goods transport and facilitate cooperation between\nneighbouring regional airports. Members urge Member State\nauthorities to propose plans to develop existing regional airports\nand make them more efficient.
\nEnvironment and innovation: Members are of the opinion that there is plenty of\nspare capacity to be utilised at many regional airports and that,\nby using that spare capacity, congestion and stacking at major\nairports can be reduced and the environmental impact limited. They\nalso highlight the role of regional airports in acting as a\nmainspring for the development of innovation clusters by\ndiminishing location costs for start-ups, especially in\ngeographically remote regions.
\nThe report calls on Member States and regional and\nlocal authorities to take account of, in addition to economic and\nfinancial considerations, environmental, territorial, geological\nand meteorological factors, and of other rational criteria when\ndeciding where to locate airports and whenever regional airport\nfacilities need to be renovated or expanded. It underlines, at the\nsame time, the importance of using and modernising existing\nstructures before building new ones.
\nThe Commission and Member States are urged to speed up\nthe development of the Joint Undertaking to develop the new\ngeneration European air traffic management system (SESAR), the\nClean Sky initiative and the enforcement of Single European Sky\nlegislation as a matter of urgency.
\nCongestion and multimodality:\nnoting that recent studies state that European\nregions are losing direct links to some of the most congested\nairports, the report suggests that the scope of any future studies\nbe extended to regional airports. In the interim, it encourages the\nMember States and the Commission to promote connections between\nregional airports and main airports in the Member States,\nhelping to boost the economy in the areas around regional airports\nwhiles also offering one solution to the problem of air-traffic\ncongestion in Europe.
\nMembers urge all parties and institutions involved in\nthe revision of Regulation (EEC) No 95/93 (as amended\nby Regulation (EC) No 793/2004) to focus on delivering new\ncapacity at airports rather than pricing regional air services out\nof the market. They consider it essential for regional airports to\nhave access to hubs, and take the view that this must be considered\nduring the revision of Regulation (EEC) No 95/93.
\nRegional airports situated away from urban centres are\noften not adequately connected to the transport network on the\nground. Members call for Member States to develop their\nintermodal policies and to invest in these strategically\nimportant intermodal connections, for example connections with the\nrail network. They believe that the network development plans of\nthe rail and road sector should take the location of airports\ninto account, with the aim of including airports in the ground\ntransport networks being built. They note the need to develop\nregional airport networks based on integrated connections with\nthe major airports in order to improve the mobility of people and\nto streamline goods transport.
\nThe trans-European transport network\n(TEN-T): Members believe that, as\npart of the TEN-T, regional airports could play a leading role in\nthe creation of a wider European Common Aviation Area covering\n1 billion people in the EU and neighbouring countries, in line\nwith the Commission communication.\nStressing that the role played by regional airports is vital for\nterritorial cohesion and social and economic development in the\nregions, they call for regional airports to be taken into account\nin the future trans-European transport network policy. The report\nalso emphasises that regional airports in trans-border regions,\nwhich are located in close proximity to each other, should\ndemonstrate cooperation and coordination in the use of existing\ncapacities as a precondition for EU co-financing by TEN-T, cohesion\nand regional funds.
\nThe committee goes on to make a series of\nrecommendations aiming to improve security, transparency and\naccessibility with regard to regional airports. With regard to\nthe latter, Members call on the companies responsible for the\nmanagement of regional airports to make the necessary structural\nalterations to accommodate disabled people, so as to enable them to\naccess the various airport areas without assistance and to use all\nservices without difficulty.
\nThe Committee on Transport and Tourism adopted the\nown-initiative report by Philip BRADBOURN (ECR, UK) on the future\nof regional airports and air services in the EU.
\nThe report notes that regional aviation, like other\nmodes of transport, is a key enabler in citizens’ mobility. It\nstresses that improved connectivity and efficient inter-modal\nmobility can contribute considerably to better access to the\nregions, to business, tourism and the development of related\nservices, and to the spread of economic prosperity.
\nThe committee makes the following\nrecommendations:
\nEconomics of regional air\nservices: the report underlines the\nneed for a public service obligation for air services of\neconomic and public interest, especially those connecting\nremote regions, islands and the outermost regions, in order to\nensure their full accessibility and territorial integration.\nMembers believe that such services would not be economically viable\nwithout public money.
\nThey believe that it is desirable to avoid a\nproliferation of regional airports, and note that the\ndevelopment of regional airports should be targeted in order to\navoid the creation of unused or not efficiently used airport\ninfrastructures which would result in an economic burden for the\nauthorities responsible. They maintain, on the contrary, that\nexisting links should be strengthened, especially in areas\n(islands, for example) suffering from geographical\nhandicaps.
\nThe Commission is asked to review\nDecision 2012/21/EU on the application of Article 106(2),\nby means of which the threshold for which an airport can receive\nstate aid without having to notify the Commission was decreased to\n200 000 passengers per year, bearing in mind the\nCommunity Guidelines (2005/C312/01) which state that an airport can\nbecome cost-efficient with a traffic of over\n500 000 passengers per year.
\nThe committee takes the view that national and\nregional authorities should properly support regional airports, on\naccount of the latter’s environmental and economic impact.\nRegional airports should also be subject to local and regional\nconsultation, and – on the basis of cost-benefit analyses\n– be considered eligible to apply for financing under EU\nfunds, as well as other EU-funded financial engineering\ninstruments within the new programming framework. The Commission is\nasked to:
\n\n· \ntake into consideration the opportunities\noffered by regional airports as part of the European central\ntransport network;
\n\n· \ntake a balanced approach in future revisions of\naviation guidelines in order to provide for a socially and\neconomically viable development of regional air\nservices,
\n\n· \nin supporting the development of regional\nairports and the construction of new regional airports (especially\nin countries whose national airports are situated in remote areas),\nto pay particular regard to the balanced territorial development of\nregions corresponding to levels I and II of the Nomenclature of\nTerritorial Statistical Units (NUTS).
\nThe report stresses that adequate development of\nregional airports contributes to parallel development of the\ntourist system, which is a vitally important area for many\nEuropean regions. It calls on the Commission to take account of the\nspecific nature and problems of these seasonal regional airports\nwhen adopting new legislation for the sector.
\nRegional airports are becoming more and more important\nfor charter airlines as well as for low-cost carriers.\nMembers expresses concern that certain practices of low-cost\nairlines, which often operate from regional airports, lead to\npoorer quality of service for passengers and a deterioration in\nworking conditions.
\nThey call on the Commission to guarantee the\ncorrect application of European and national legislation on\nairlines’ social conditions and terms of employment, so\nthat staff employed at a regional airport do not become victims of\nsocial dumping and so that fair competition and a level playing\nfield can be ensured in the aviation sector.
\nMembers are also concerned by ‘one-bag’ rule\nand other restrictions to the cabin baggage allowance imposed by\ncertain airlines. They take the view that these practices represent\na breach of competition law, and believe that these restrictions\nmay constitute an abuse of a carrier’s position. They call,\ntherefore, on Member States to set common upper limits to be\nimposed on airlines with regard to such restrictions and consider\nthat any checks relating to luggage weight restrictions and size\nshould be made before arrival at the departure gate.
\nThe report also considers that goods transport\nis a positive factor for regional airports which can further\ndevelopment and jobs, not least through the establishment of\nrelated ground services and of businesses linked to regional\nairports. It calls on the Commission to draw up a strategy that\nwill promote goods transport and facilitate cooperation between\nneighbouring regional airports. Members urge Member State\nauthorities to propose plans to develop existing regional airports\nand make them more efficient.
\nEnvironment and innovation: Members are of the opinion that there is plenty of\nspare capacity to be utilised at many regional airports and that,\nby using that spare capacity, congestion and stacking at major\nairports can be reduced and the environmental impact limited. They\nalso highlight the role of regional airports in acting as a\nmainspring for the development of innovation clusters by\ndiminishing location costs for start-ups, especially in\ngeographically remote regions.
\nThe report calls on Member States and regional and\nlocal authorities to take account of, in addition to economic and\nfinancial considerations, environmental, territorial, geological\nand meteorological factors, and of other rational criteria when\ndeciding where to locate airports and whenever regional airport\nfacilities need to be renovated or expanded. It underlines, at the\nsame time, the importance of using and modernising existing\nstructures before building new ones.
\nThe Commission and Member States are urged to speed up\nthe development of the Joint Undertaking to develop the new\ngeneration European air traffic management system (SESAR), the\nClean Sky initiative and the enforcement of Single European Sky\nlegislation as a matter of urgency.
\nCongestion and multimodality:\nnoting that recent studies state that European\nregions are losing direct links to some of the most congested\nairports, the report suggests that the scope of any future studies\nbe extended to regional airports. In the interim, it encourages the\nMember States and the Commission to promote connections between\nregional airports and main airports in the Member States,\nhelping to boost the economy in the areas around regional airports\nwhiles also offering one solution to the problem of air-traffic\ncongestion in Europe.
\nMembers urge all parties and institutions involved in\nthe revision of Regulation (EEC) No 95/93 (as amended\nby Regulation (EC) No 793/2004) to focus on delivering new\ncapacity at airports rather than pricing regional air services out\nof the market. They consider it essential for regional airports to\nhave access to hubs, and take the view that this must be considered\nduring the revision of Regulation (EEC) No 95/93.
\nRegional airports situated away from urban centres are\noften not adequately connected to the transport network on the\nground. Members call for Member States to develop their\nintermodal policies and to invest in these strategically\nimportant intermodal connections, for example connections with the\nrail network. They believe that the network development plans of\nthe rail and road sector should take the location of airports\ninto account, with the aim of including airports in the ground\ntransport networks being built. They note the need to develop\nregional airport networks based on integrated connections with\nthe major airports in order to improve the mobility of people and\nto streamline goods transport.
\nThe trans-European transport network\n(TEN-T): Members believe that, as\npart of the TEN-T, regional airports could play a leading role in\nthe creation of a wider European Common Aviation Area covering\n1 billion people in the EU and neighbouring countries, in line\nwith the Commission communication.\nStressing that the role played by regional airports is vital for\nterritorial cohesion and social and economic development in the\nregions, they call for regional airports to be taken into account\nin the future trans-European transport network policy. The report\nalso emphasises that regional airports in trans-border regions,\nwhich are located in close proximity to each other, should\ndemonstrate cooperation and coordination in the use of existing\ncapacities as a precondition for EU co-financing by TEN-T, cohesion\nand regional funds.
\nThe committee goes on to make a series of\nrecommendations aiming to improve security, transparency and\naccessibility with regard to regional airports. With regard to\nthe latter, Members call on the companies responsible for the\nmanagement of regional airports to make the necessary structural\nalterations to accommodate disabled people, so as to enable them to\naccess the various airport areas without assistance and to use all\nservices without difficulty.
\n