The 5th Annual ACI EUROPE Regional Airports Conference & Exhibition took place from 2 to 4 April, hosted by Aerodrom Ljubljana, Slovenia. This year’s conference comprised 6 sessions, covering the full spectrum of issues affecting regional airports including economic and social aspects, regulation, competition, developing new revenue streams, environmental sustainability and operational and security constraints. The conference brought together more than 170 delegates from regional airports, local and national authorities the European Commission, airlines and ACI EUROPE World Business Partners.
This year’s event occurred at a time when regional airports are under the magnifying
Robert Sinclair, CEO, Bristol Airport. © Aviation Media
glass of the EU institutions. The European Commission (EC) is working on the revision of its guidelines on State aid & airport financing and Alain Alexis, the EC’s head of unit on this issue spoke at the conference and also addressed a meeting of the Regional Airports Forum the day before.
ACI EUROPE released a special analysis publication at the conference entitled ‘How Regional Airports Link People, Places and Products – Connecting Europe’. This publication underlines the essential role regional airports play in the fabric of European mobility, fostering economic growth and social cohesion.
Tonci Peovic, Chairman of the Regional Airports’ Forum and Managing Director, Zagreb Airport commented “At a time when Europe is desperately seeking drivers for employment and growth, our Regional Airports publication released is a reminder of the latent potential of Europe’s regional airports to boost the economic prospects of the communities they serve.”
Alain Alexis, Head of Unit, State Aids Transport, European Commission, and Tonci Peovic, Chairman of the Regional Airports’ Forum and Managing Director, Zagreb Airport.
Earlier in the year, the European Parliament (EP) was reconsidering the strategic relevance of regional airports. Since the conference it has adopted a comprehensive report entitled ‘The Future of Regional Airports and Regional Air Services in the EU’ including recommendations on how to address the challenges faced by these airports. This report was championed by Philip Bradbourn MEP (UK).
Laurie Price, Director of Aviation Strategy, Mott MacDonald. © Aviation Media
Maria Muller, Managing Director, Rostock Airport. © Aviation Media
Zmago Skobir, CEO, Ljubljana Airport. © Aviation Media
The Regional Airports’ Forum Analysis publication released today can be downloaded directly from the ACI EUROPE website, by following this URL:
http://www.aci-europe.org/component/downloads/downloads/3163.html
