EU seeks lower airport charges

The Commission has presented plans which aim to put an end to years of disputes between airlines and airports over the cost and quality of services they provide.

Transport Commissioner Jacques Barrot said: “Everything we’ve done here is designed to bring down the costs of airport fees and, hence, the costs of travelling by air for passengers.” While admitting that the draft directive on airport charges was “not ambitious”, he said that the whole package represented “a milestone in the formation of a pan-European regulatory framework for European airports”.
Oliver Jankovec, director-general of Airports Council International (ACI-EUROPE) welcomed the “wide range of actions” proposed by the Commission to address “the important issue of the looming airport capacity crunch”, but said: “The Commission’s strategy fails to recognise that better use of existing capacity alone will not be enough and new airport infrastructure will have to be provided.”

EurActiv