Airport News
Eurocontrol has warned of a capacity crunch faced by airports across Europe which could amount to €230bn (£198bn) in losses by 2035. Despite slower air traffic growth in the next 20 years, insufficient airport capacity could damage the continent’s aviation system and connectivity.
The figures released on 8 July 2013 outlined in the latest edition of Eurocontrol’s ‘Challenges of Growth’ report detail the constraints identified in the European air transport system. The report warns 12% of demand for air transport will not be accommodated for by 2035 as a result of insufficient airport capacity. This means 1.9 million flights per year will not take place with 237 million passengers unable to fly.
“Eurocontrol’s latest figures on airport capacity are deeply troubling. They should be of concern to everyone who values the unparalleled connectivity, mobility and prosperity that airports and the airlines which fly from them bring to their communities,” Athar Husain Khan, acting secretary general of the Association of European Airlines (AEA), Simon McNamara, director general of the European Regions Airline Association (ERA) and Olivier Jankovec, director general, ACI Europe, commented.
The most exposed countries in the airport capacity crunch will be Turkey, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Bulgaria, Hungary, Germany, Poland and Italy. However “severe” repercussions could be seen throughout Europe, in particular delays and congestion will skyrocket throughout the airport network. Average delays per flight are predicted to rise from current levels of 1 min/flight to 5-6 min/flight.
“The message is clear: Europe is falling behind. Meanwhile, the new economic powerhouses of the world are using aviation and airport development as instruments of economic strategy. This is something many of our national governments still need to grasp,” they added.
The report states that current technologies and larger aircrafts will not offer any solutions for the capacity crunch, caused by airports being forced to sharply reduce their capacity expansion plans. Revenue pressures, high capital costs, a lack of political support, poor planning processes and decreasing confidence are all factors placing constrain in airport development throughout Europe.
A 40% increase in capacity by 2030 throughout the European network was outlined in Eurocontrol’s previous report published in 2008, however these plans have been severely cut back with capacity now expected to increase by just 17% by 2035.
