Opinion of the Committee of the Regions on The future of European airports
Date: 2007-10-10
Institutions: European Committee of the Regions
Subjects: air transport, airport, charges for use of infrastructure, common transport policy, transport regulations

15.12.2007

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

C 305/11

Opinion of the Committee of the Regions on ‘The future of European airports’

(2007/C 305/03)

THE COMMITTEE OF THE REGIONS

Puts forward the following recommendations:

— Some regulation is necessary but it should be light, to intervene where national regulations are seen
not to be working (subsidiarity principle). The key features should be transparency in the consultation
process and a European appeals process.

— The threshold of 1 million passengers seems arbitrary and possibly unnecessary as it will bring over
150 airports under regulation, many of them small regional airports unable to cope with the bureau-
cracy. The Directive should therefore only apply to those airports that have over 1 % of the total EU
wide air passenger market.

— The national independent regulatory authority should also have the power to grant exemptions, to
include airports which fall below the threshold, if it is felt that they possess significant market power.
Any market
to scrutiny by
the European Commission to ensure uniformity of
treatment across Europe (Article 1.2 of
COM(2006) 820 should therefore be amended).

tests to be carried out by national aviation regulators are subject

— The Directive should be neutral regarding the single-till principle.

— Access to airports by various means of transport is an essential component of ‘capacity’ and to more

fully exploit existing capacity at regional airports.

— Regional airports are vital to the prosperity of regions and can play an important role in alleviating
congestion at major hub airports. Moreover, they can service the general aviation sector and offer a
number of potential services that major airports will have less room for in future, given the increase
in commercial traffic.

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Official Journal of the European Union

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Reference documents

Proposal for a regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council on common rules for the opera-
tion of air transport services in the Community

COM(2006) 396 final

Communication from the Commission to the Council, the European Parliament, the European Economic
and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions on An action plan for airport capacity, effi-
ciency and safety in Europe

COM(2006) 819 final

Proposal for a directive of the European Parliament and of the Council on airport charges

COM(2006) 820 final

Report from the Commission on the application of Council Directive 96/67/EC of 15 October 1996

COM(2006) 821 final

Rapporteur: Councillor Gordon KEYMER, Tandridge District Council, (UK/EPP)

I. Policy recommendations

III. Regulator

I. Need for regulation

The national regulatory authorities need to be truly inde-

8.
pendent, both operationally and financially.

1.
Some regulation is necessary but it should be light, to
intervene where national regulations are seen not to be working
(subsidiarity principle). The key features should be transparency
in the consultation process and a European appeals process.

IV. Capacity

II. Airport charges

2.
The threshold of 1 million passengers seems arbitrary and
possibly unnecessary as it will bring over 150 airports under
regulation, many of them small regional airports unable to cope
with the bureaucracy. It is recommended that national aviation
regulators carry out market tests which could be subject to scru-
tiny by the EU to ensure uniformity of treatment across Europe.

The Directive only applies to those airports that have over

3.
1 % of the total EU wide air passenger market.

The national

4.
independent regulatory authority has the
power to grant exemptions, either on the basis of a market
contestability test, or in the case of those airports which possess
less than 20 % of their national market share. It also has the
power to include airports which fall below the threshold, if it is
felt that they possess significant market power.

Europe needs to both improve use of existing capacity and

9.
invest in new capacity.

10.
Unrestricted access to airports by various new means of
transport is an essential component of ‘capacity’ and to more
fully exploit existing capacity at regional airports. In particular,
the linking of airports with urban centres and high-speed rail
networks, and a denser network of high-speed rail links in order
to reduce short-haul traffic and free-up capacity.

General aviation plays an important role in an enlarged
11.
Europe in allowing rapid and flexible travel
from regional
airport to regional airport. Therefore provision for general avia-
tion movements should be maintained.

V. Groundhandling

12.
The 1996 Directive has delivered benefits in terms of
raised efficiency, lower costs and jobs created. Better implemen-
tation of the existing Directive would be possible, but new legis-
lation is not needed.

5.
Any market tests to be carried out by national aviation
regulators are subject to scrutiny by the European Commission
to ensure uniformity of treatment across Europe.

VI. Planning implications

The Directive should be neutral regarding the single-till

6.
principle (a dual-till can function well).

7.
Airports need to be able to operate differentiated charges,
both to encourage ‘anchor airlines’ and to allow development of
low-cost terminals within an airport.

13.
Recognising the correlation between regional connec-
tivity and growth, the CoR believes that regional airports are
vital to the prosperity of regions and can play an important role
in alleviating congestion at major hub airports. Moreover, they
can service the general aviation sector and offer a number of
potential services that major airports will have less room for in
future, given the increase in commercial traffic.

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Official Journal of the European Union

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Regional and local authorities must engage with the aviation sector in a different way, notably on

14.
shorter-time horizons and in a more dynamic fashion.

Future growth of airports must be better taken into account in long-term local and regional land-use

15.
planning (housing, transport networks, retail planning etc).

II. Recommendations of the Committee of the Regions

Recommendation 1

Commission's proposal for a directive on airport charges [COM(2006)0820]

Text proposed by the Commission

Recital (1)

CoR Amendment

Recital (1)

The main task and commercial activity of airports is to
ensure the handling of aircraft, from landing to take-off,
and of passengers and cargo, so as to enable air carriers to
provide their air
this purpose,
airports offer a number of facilities and services related to
the operation of aircraft and the processing of passengers
and cargo, the cost of which they generally recover through
airport charges.

transport services. For

The main task and commercial activity of airports is to
ensure the handling of aircraft, from landing to take-off,
and of passengers and cargo, so as to enable air carriers to
provide their air
this purpose,
airports offer a number of facilities and services related to
the operation of aircraft and the processing of passengers
and cargo, the cost of which they generally, but not neces-
sarily exclusively, recover through airport charges.

services. For

transport

Reason

The Directive should be neutral regarding the single-till principle (a dual-till can function well).

Recommendation 2

Commission's proposal for a directive on airport charges [COM(2006)0820]

Text proposed by the Commission

Article 1.2

CoR Amendment

Article 1.2

This Directive applies to any airport located in a territory
subject
the Treaty and open to
commercial traffic whose annual traffic is over 1 million
passenger movements or 25 000 tonnes of cargo.

to the provisions of

This Directive applies to any the twenty largest airports
located in the EU a territory subject to the provisions of
the Treaty and open to commercial traffic whose annual
traffic
is over 1 million passenger movements or
25 000 tonnes of cargo.

This Directive applies to any airport located in a territory
subject
the Treaty and open to
commercial traffic whose annual traffic is over 1 % of the
total EU wide air passenger market.

to the provisions of

independent

The national
regulatory authority has the
power to grant exemptions, either on the basis of a market
contestability test, or in the case of those airports which
possess less than 20 % of their national market share. It
also has the power to include airports which fall below the
threshold, if it is felt that they possess significant market
power.

Any market tests to be carried out by national aviation
regulators are subject to scrutiny by the European Commis-
sion to ensure uniformity of treatment across Europe.

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Official Journal of the European Union

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Reason

The Directive as currently drafted will regulate over 150 airports, many of whom are not equipped for the
bureaucratic burden implied by the Directive and whose market share does not warrant their inclusion. As a
guideline, an airport in the EU top twenty will have in excess of 10 million passengers.

Brussels, 10 October 2007.

The President

of the Committee of the Regions

Michel DELEBARRE