• Home
  • AER Elections 2025 – Shape the Future of Our Network
    • Call for amendments – AER Political Priorities 2025-2030
  • About
    • Governance & Structure
      • AER Procedures
      • Statute & strategies
      • The AER Executive Board
      • The AER Secretariat
    • AER stands with Ukraine
    • The History of AER
  • Members
    • Who are AER’s members?
    • Member Directory
    • Join AER!
  • Mutual Learning
    • About Mutual Learning
    • Knowledge Transfer Events
    • Working Groups
      • Ongoing Working Groups
      • Past Working Groups
  • Advocacy
    • About Our Advocacy Work
    • The Bureau
    • The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development
    • AER Political Priorities 2020-2025
  • Projects
    • About Our Projects
    • Ongoing Projects
    • Look for Partners
    • Completed Projects
  • AER Programmes
    • Eurodyssey – A traineeship mobility programme for young people, entirely managed at regional level
    • Intercultural Regions Network
    • AER SUMMER ACADEMY
    • AER Youth Regional Network (YRN)
  • Events
    • AER Event Calendar
    • AER events
    • Other events

Assembly of European Regions

Connecting regions, inspiring Europe since 1985

You are here: Home / Policies / Reflexion on aviation

Reflexion on aviation

18 December, 2015 By Editor

2004 New strategic alliance: Low-fare carriers, regions and regional airports oppose strict EU guidelines - Conclusions of AER-Hearing in Barcelona
Facebooktwitterlinkedinmail
Share this!

Roger Estefors, member of the Working Group on Transport and Regional Airports, shares some reflexions following the new proposal made by the European Commission for an aviation strategy in Europe:

The entire aviation sector in Europe has gone through a transformative process from 1986 until 1992 when the Third Aviation Liberalisation Package was agreed on. The process in itself was a culmination of liberalisation steps to create a single internal European market in aviation across the range of economic activity.

The process in itself meant a tumultuous time for Europe’s state-controlled airlines to transform themselves into actors in a free market with access to all Member State’s airports. The process covered a period when previously state owned airliners, so called Flag Carriers (FC), transformed into alliances alternatively merged with other companies or simply disappeared from the market. The period also characterised a shift in the structure of the passengers and their need of alternative carriers.

This opened up a market for existing small companies or newly established companies to adopt a North American concept of low service and ticket price approach. The transformation into an open market enabled a much broader population to travel by air due to the formation of a variety of new airliner named Low Cost Carriers (LCC). The dawning era of the LCC operators opened a window for European regions, looking for possibilities to increasing their connectivity to attract tourism, support the local industries and other stakeholders. More than 25 % of all the passengers within the EU are today travelling with LCC airliner registered in the EU.

The establishment of the LCC companies have over time created some problems in connection to state aid questions and regional efforts to attract LCC companies. New airports have been constructed or old ones have been modernised or enlarged in conflict with EU Guidelines and neighbour airports. The legal handlings of these abuses or mistakes have mostly been manageable by the Commission.

The presentation of a New Aviation Strategy for Europe gives a good opportunity to make reflexions over the difficulties politicians struggle with when it comes to questions within an international market characterized by fully state controlled players outside EU on one hand and on the other hand EU based private or state owned players acting within a free home market with access for non EU players flying in and out of EU.

In the documents that relate to the importance of the EU aviation sector, the number of employments directly related to the aviation sector is estimated to somewhat between 1.4 and 2.0 million jobs. The over all multiplying effect indicates that approximately 5 million jobs exists as a result of the aviation sector.

One of the reasons to launch a New Aviation Strategy is the ambition to keep all the jobs associated to the Aviation industries and act in a way that ensures growth and new jobs. One obstacle can be found in the debate concerning state aid which leeds to unfair competition, primarily from the Gulf carriers, such as Emirates, Etihad Airways and Qatar Airways. The disturbance in the market and the risks involved affecting the conditions for the European aviation industries are officially outspoken by the Lufthansa Group in terms of ”The aviation policy of the UAE and Qatar are true game changers, putting capacity in the market at prices that airlines working under normal market conditions cannot reasonably match. This has led to a radical shift of market shares and connectivity from Europe to the Gulf and this process has only started” The problem at hand is not exclusively related to the Gulf Carriers. New destinations and other competitors are in the stage to move forward. The problem requires a solution that inherently is a problem.

From a regional perspective, it is apparent, that significant disruptions in the destination network for EU airliners caused by unfair competition indirectly harms the prospects for maintaining acceptable connectivity for the regions.

To know more about the AER working group on transport and regional airports, do not hesitate to contact Johanna Pacevicius, policy and knowledge transfer coordinator.


Roger Estefors, Västerbotten (SE)

Article by Roger Estefors.

Roger comes from Vasterbotten (SE) and is a member of the Working Group on Transport and Regional Airports, within the AER Committee for Economy and Regional Development

Print Friendly, PDF & Email
Follow AER!
Facebooktwitterlinkedinrss

Filed Under: Policies Tagged With: Aviation, Economy, Employment, Growth, Regional development, Tourism, Transports

← Highlight the most deserving MEPs Dutch EU Presidency focuses on four of AER’s main policies →

More articles on this topic

Committee 1 Annual Report June 2019 – November 2020
Committee 1 progress Report Spring 2020
New rules, new roles for governments in a Sharing Economy
transports
Low noise – Low-fare – High impact Regional airports as factors for economic growth
2004 New strategic alliance: Low-fare carriers, regions and regional airports oppose strict EU guidelines - Conclusions of AER-Hearing in Barcelona
Conclusions of AER-Hearing in Barcelona: 2004 New strategic alliance

AER. Connecting regions, inspiring Europe since 1985.

Follow our newsletter!




View previous campaigns.


  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

2025 AER General Assembly

  • AER Elections 2025

AER Projects

  • Ongoing projects
    • EU-BELONG: An Intercultural Approach to Migrant Integration in Europe’s Regions
    • MEET: Mobilise Europe = Engage Together
    • CL-YE | Climbing the Ladder: Fostering a Culture of Youth Engagement
  • Partner search

Library

Statutory Documents
AER Strategies
Minutes
Media Kit
Activity Reports
Newsletters
European Regions Map

Join AER!

Become a Member

Job Opportunities

Sign up for our Newsletter

Website map

Brussels · Strasbourg · Alba Iulia

A Network, a Partner and a Voice of European regions, since 1985 · Copyright © 2025 · Assembly of European Regions · info@aer.eu · Log in