EBAA Seeks Fair Access to European Airports

While EBAA praised the European Commission’s initiative to revise the regulation on airport slots today at the European Airport Coordinators Association’s (EUACA) Seminar held in Amsterdam, the association cautioned against an approach that could severely restrict business jet access at European airports where slots are required. According to EBAA, if the EC were to follow all of the recommendations of a recently published impact assessment report, the number of passengers aircraft carry would be the sole performance indicator in the allotment of new slots, meaning business aircraft would likely be last in line for slots. “This report is blind to the full impact of the entire aviation industry on local and regional economies,” said EBAA president Brian Humphries. “All of its arguments are based on the premise that maximum passenger throughput is the be-all and end-all…[but] all sectors of aviation play a key role in the economic well being and growth of European and national economies.” EBAA is proposing that the best solution would be to guarantee a number of slots–based on historical usage–per day to business aviation operators at regional airports.