The European Parliament adopted by 397 votes to 99, with 49 abstentions, a resolution on an aviation strategy for Europe.

Members recalled that the lack of proper implementation of EU legislation and political unwillingness in the Council prevent the aviation sector from unleashing its full potential, thus damaging its competitiveness and leading to greater costs at the expense of businesses, passengers and the economy.

A more ambitious approach : Parliament stressed that a further holistic and more ambitious approach should be embraced in order to provide the necessary boost for a sustainable and competitive European aviation industry. It also stressed that safety is a guiding principle for the European aviation strategy and that it must be continuously improved. In this regard, it welcomed the review of the EASA (European Air Safety Agency) Basic Regulation ( Regulation (EC) No 216/2008 ), aimed at achieving the highest levels of safety in aviation. The EASA should be equipped with sufficient resources and staff to ensure high safety standards and to strengthen its role on the international scene.

The Council and the Member States are urged to make swift progress on other essential dossiers which are currently deadlocked , such as the Recast of the Regulation on the Implementation of the Single European Sky (SES2+) and the revision of the Slot Regulation and the Air Passenger Rights Regulations . The Commission is called upon to rethink ongoing initiatives and propose viable alternatives to remove the deficiencies of the aviation sector resulting from the late and incomplete implementation of EU legislation such as the Single European Sky (SES).

International dimension : the resolution welcomed the initiative to negotiate at EU level air transport agreements and bilateral aviation safety agreements with third countries representing emerging and strategic markets (China, Japan, ASEAN, Turkey, Qatar, the UAE, Armenia, Mexico, China, Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman and Saudi Arabia).

The Commission shall:

make negotiating air transport agreements with third countries conditional on high safety standards, appropriate labour and social standards and participation in the market-based climate change instrument for air transport emissions and, in air transport agreements; ensure equal market access , equal ownership conditions and a level playing field based on reciprocity.

EU single market in aviation and trans-European motorway of the sky : Parliament called on the Commission to establish a single European upper flight information region (EUIR) as is set out in Article 3 of Regulation (EC) No 551/2004 as it will allow the overcoming of regional bottlenecks and enable continuity of air services in the densest parts of the airspace. The EUIR will allow the gradual establishment of a Trans-European Motorway of the Sky, which would be another step towards the completion of the Single European Sky and a cost-effective management of the EU airspace.

Improved connectivity : Members acknowledged the significant connectivity gap within the EU, characterised by a lower number of air connections in certain parts of the Union, and the importance of regional connectivity (including geographical areas excluded from the TEN-T). The resolution suggested the development of a connectivity index : a connectivity index should aim at reflecting the actual added value of a specific route and take into account other criteria such as time, territorial continuity, greater network integration, accessibility, availability of transport alternatives, affordability and environmental costs.

Encouraging multimodality : Members stressed the need for fast, efficient and user-friendly connections between public transport networks and airport infrastructure and in this regard called on both the Commission and the Member States to give greater priority to the multimodal objective within the TEN-T corridors while removing bottlenecks. The Commission should promptly present its proposal for a multimodal and interoperable approach to transport, with the aviation sector fully integrated.

Creating a favourable environment for smart investment : Parliament stated that the entire aviation value chain has the potential to be a strategic sector for investment, which needs to be further exploited by setting long-term objectives and by granting incentives to smart initiatives fulfilling those objectives, such as greener airports or aircraft, noise reduction, connection between airport facilities and public transport. The Commission and the Member States are invited to look into further measures to promote such initiatives, including through the effective use of the European Fund for Strategic Investments (EFSI), and to continue promoting and financing programmes such as Clean Sky and SESAR .

Delivering environment objectives : Parliament welcomed the Commission’s intention to review the EU’s measures to reduce CO2 emissions from aviation. It stated that, in view also of the Commission’s Circular Economy Package, further initiatives aimed at increasing environmental capacity and reducing emissions and noise from operational activities from, to and within airports should be encouraged, for example by adopting renewable fuels (e.g. biofuels), by promoting “green airports” and “green way-to-airports”, and by achieving the most efficient logistics management.

Improving security : the resolution stressed that the security challenges, including cybersecurity, facing the aviation sector will increase in the future, requiring an immediate shift to a more risk-based and intelligence-based approach.

Members welcomed the Commission's proposal for an EU certification system for aviation security screening equipment and insisted on the need for a consistent implementation of the existing rules regarding staff recruitment and training. They called on the Commission to look into the possibility of deepening the one-stop security concept, and of developing an EU pre-check system allowing pre-registered EU travellers to transit security clearance in a more efficient manner.

Social agenda : Parliament encouraged the Commission to come forward with concrete initiatives in order to protect workers’ rights. It called on the Member States to guarantee all workers in the aviation sector decent working conditions, including health and safety at work. EASA and the Member States are invited to continue scrutinising new business and employment models (zero-hour contracts, pay-to-fly schemes) in order to ensure aviation safety.

The Committee on Transport and Tourism adopted the own-initiative report by Pavel TELIČKA (ALDE, CZ) on an aviation strategy for Europe.

The Committee on Employment and Social Affairs, exercising its prerogative as an associated committee in accordance with Article 54 of the Rules of Procedure, also gave its opinion on the report.

The report recalled that the lack of proper implementation of EU legislation and political unwillingness in the Council prevent the aviation sector from unleashing its full potential, thus damaging its competitiveness and leading to greater costs at the expense of businesses, passengers and the economy.

A more ambitious approach : Members stressed that a further holistic and more ambitious approach should be embraced in order to provide the necessary boost for a sustainable and competitive European aviation industry. They also stressed that safety is a guiding principle for the European aviation strategy and that it must be continuously improved. In this regard, they welcomed the review of the EASA (European Air Safety Agency) Basic Regulation ( Regulation (EC) No 216/2008 ), aimed at achieving the highest levels of safety in aviation. The EASA should be equipped with sufficient resources and staff to ensure high safety standards and to strengthen its role on the international scene.

The Council and the Member States are urged to make swift progress on other essential dossiers which are currently deadlocked , such as the Recast of the Regulation on the Implementation of the Single European Sky (SES2+) and the revision of the Slot Regulation and the Air Passenger Rights Regulations. The Commission is called upon to rethink ongoing initiatives and propose viable alternatives to remove the deficiencies of the aviation sector resulting from the late and incomplete implementation of EU legislation such as the Single European Sky (SES).

International dimension : the report welcomed the initiative to negotiate at EU level air transport agreements and bilateral aviation safety agreements with third countries representing emerging and strategic markets (China, Japan, ASEAN, Turkey, Qatar, the UAE, Armenia, Mexico, China, Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman and Saudi Arabia), and that any new agreements should be correctly implemented and enforced by all parties and need to include a fair competition clause on the basis of international standards (ICAO, ILO). Parliament should be fully involved at all stages of negotiations.

EU single market in aviation and trans-European motorway of the sky : Article 3 of Regulation (EC) No 551/2004 that foresees the establishment of a single European Upper Flight Information Region (EUIR), without prejudice to Member States’ sovereignty, has not been implemented yet. Such EUIR would allow building a Trans-European Motorway of the Sky to mitigate the current fragmentation of the European airspace and disruptions to the air transport system that are greatly affecting the continuity of air services and damaging EU competitiveness. To meet the goals of the EU aviation strategy, it is therefore urgent to translate such a concept into reality.

Improved connectivity : Members acknowledged the significant connectivity gap within the EU, characterised by a lower number of air connections in certain parts of the Union, and the importance of regional connectivity (including geographical areas excluded from the TEN-T). Members suggested the development of a connectivity index : a connectivity index should aim at reflecting the actual added value of a specific route.

Encouraging multimodality : Members stressed the need for fast, efficient and user-friendly connections between public transport networks and airport infrastructure and in this regard called on both the Commission and the Member States to give greater priority to the multimodal objective within the TEN-T corridors while removing bottlenecks. The Commission should promptly present its proposal for a multimodal and interoperable approach to transport, with the aviation sector fully integrated.

Creating a favourable environment for smart investment : Members stated that the entire aviation value chain has the potential to be a strategic sector for investment, which needs to be further exploited by setting long-term objectives and by granting incentives to smart initiatives fulfilling those objectives, such as greener airports or aircraft, noise reduction, connection between airport facilities and public transport. The Commission and the Member States are invited to look into further measures to promote such initiatives, including through the effective use of the European Fund for Strategic Investments (EFSI), and to continue promoting and financing programmes such as Clean Sky and SESAR.

Delivering environment objectives : Members welcomed the Commission’s intention to review the EU’s measures to reduce CO2 emissions from aviation. They stated that, in view also of the Commission’s Circular Economy Package, further initiatives aimed at increasing environmental capacity and reducing emissions and noise from operational activities from, to and within airports should be encouraged, for example by adopting renewable fuels (e.g. biofuels), by promoting “green airports” and “green way-to-airports”, and by achieving the most efficient logistics management.

Improving security : Members stressed that the security challenges, including cybersecurity, facing the aviation sector will increase in the future, requiring an immediate shift to a more risk-based and intelligence-based approach.

Lastly, they welcomed the Commission's proposal for an EU certification system for aviation security screening equipment and insisted on the need for a consistent implementation of the existing rules regarding staff recruitment and training. They called on the Commission to look into the possibility of deepening the one-stop security concept, and of developing an EU precheck system allowing pre-registered EU travellers to transit security clearance in a more efficient manner.

PURPOSE: to present a new aviation strategy for Europe.

BACKGROUND: aviation is a strong driver of economic growth, jobs, trade and mobility for the European Union and it plays a crucial role in the EU economy. The sector directly employs between 1.4 million and 2 million people and overall supports between 4.83 million and contributes EUR 110 billion to the EU economy.

The availability of direct intercontinental flights is effectively a major determinant in the location choices of large firms’ headquarters in Europe:

a 10% increase in the supply of intercontinental flights results in a 4% increase in the number of headquarters of large firms; a 10% increase of departing passengers in a metropolitan region increases local employment in the services sector by 1%.

Over the last 20 years, the EU's liberalisation of the internal market for air services and the substantial growth of demand in air transport within the EU and worldwide, have resulted in the significant development of the European aviation sector.

Aviation traffic in Europe is predicted to reach 14.4 million flights in 2035 , 50% more than in 2012.

As aviation's contribution to the overall performance of the EU economy and its global presence is so significant, it is critical that the EU aviation sector remains competitive, maintains its leadership position and is able to grow.

CONTENT: the aim of this Aviation Strategy is to strengthen the competitiveness and sustainability of the entire EU air transport value network. The Commission has therefore identified three key priorities:

(1) Tapping into growth markets : European aviation is facing new competitive challenges in a rapidly evolving global market, in particular as a result of a shift of economic growth to the East. With an annual growth forecast of 6%, scheduled passenger traffic in the Asia Pacific region is likely to grow faster than in other regions until 2034 when it will account for 40% of world air traffic.

By adopting an ambitious external aviation policy through the negotiation of comprehensive aviation agreements , with a clear focus on growth markets, the EU can contribute to improving market access and investment opportunities for European aviation in important overseas markets.

Furthermore, in order to support worldwide trade in aircraft and related products, the EU should also expand the range of bilateral aviation safety agreements aimed at achieving mutual recognition of safety certification standards.

The Commission will also negotiate effective fair competition provisions in the context of the negotiation of EU comprehensive air transport agreements and consider measures to address unfair practices from third countries and third country operators.

(2) Tackling limits to growth both in the air and on the ground : the estimated costs of the EU's fragmented airspace represent at least EUR 5 billion a year. The main challenge for the growth of European aviation is to reduce the capacity and efficiency constraints , which are seriously impeding the European aviation sector's ability to grow sustainably, compete internationally, and which are causing congestion and delays and raising costs.

In 2035, according to Eurocontrol, European airports will be unable to accommodate some 2 million flights due to capacity shortages. The estimated economic cost of being unable to accommodate demand has been estimated at 434 000-818 000 jobs foregone by 2035 and an annual loss in GDP of between EUR 28 billion and 52 billion at EU level.

It is for this reason that the strategy insisted on the need to:

complete the Single European Sky , through the adoption of the Single European Sky (SES2+) proposals ; make best use of existing capacity and plan well in advance to absorb the forecasted future needs; swiftly adopt the revised Slot Regulation in order to enable the optimal use of the busiest airports; enhance the availability of highly performing, competitive airport services , including runways, passenger terminals and ground handling and the service quality experience of passengers; improve connectivity in Europe, identify any shortcomings and the appropriate measures to be taken.

(3) Maintaining high EU safety and security standards : to achieve this, the Commission aims to introduce a risk and performance based approach to safety regulation.

The strategy insisted on the need to:

integrate new business models and emerging technologies, such as electric engines or drones; abolish rules and procedures that add time, burden and cost but do not contribute to safety ; put in place a framework for the pooling and sharing of technical resources between the national authorities and the European Aviation Safety Agency; launch an in-depth evaluation of the existing legislation on the imposition of operating bans and on rules on aviation accident investigation ; seek new ways to alleviate the burden of security checks on passengers , notably through the use of new technology and by applying a risk-based approach in full respect of fundamental rights.

The Commission seeks to propose a revised Basic Regulation for common rules in the field of civil aviation safety, replacing the current Regulation (EC) No 216/2008.

In this context, the EU should also act in the following areas:

Reinforcing the social agenda and creating high quality jobs in aviation : (i) maintain leadership in aviation through a highly educated, qualified and experienced workforce; (ii) develop new skills and competences; (iii) better understand the new business and employment models that have emerged, such as the multiplication of operational bases, the recruitment of air crews through agencies, new atypical forms of employment or pay-to-fly schemes for flight crew; (iv) bring clarity on the applicable labour law; (v) promote an active and comprehensive social dialogue.

Protecting passengers' rights : the legislative process to adopt the revision of Regulation 261/2004 on air passengers' rights in case of denied boarding, long delays and cancellations is still on going in 2015. The Commission urges European Parliament and the Council of the EU to adopt swiftly the revisions proposed.

Embracing a new era through innovation and digital technologies : the deployment and optimisation of information and communications technologies are also particularly relevant for airport capacity, performance and quality of service. Moreover, as regards unleashing the full potential of drones, it is necessary for a risk-based framework to be put in place rapidly. This framework will ensure their safe use in civil airspace and create legal certainty for the industry.

Contributing to a forward-looking Climate Change Policy : the EU, through its Member States acting within the framework of ICAO, pursues a robust Global Market Based Mechanism to achieve carbon neutral growth from 2020 to be reviewed over time as appropriate, and to be made operational from 2020, as well as the adoption of a first CO2 standard for aircraft.

Investing in aviation research : the Commission is convinced that appropriate private and public investments into technology and innovation will secure Europe’s leading role in international aviation. The European Union has planned to invest EUR 430 million each year, until 2020, in the Single European Sky ATM Research ( SESAR ) project. It has been estimated that the timely deployment of SESAR solutions can potentially result in the creation of over 300 000 new jobs.