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ERA represents 58 regional airlines and more than 150 companies involved in European aviation.
One-size-fits-all regulation is putting pressure on Europe’s smallest airlines and vital connectivity, according to the European Regions Airline Association (ERA).
ERA represents 58 regional airlines and more than 150 companies involved in European aviation.
“Europe needs a regulatory framework that recognizes the diversity of its aviation network,” ERA director general Montserrat Barriga and ERA president and Danish Air Transport (DAT) CEO Jesper Rungholm said in a report released on the eve of the association’s General Assembly in Belfast.
Instead, rising costs and complexity are putting pressure on route viability. “Resilience cannot be taken for granted,” they said.
Roughly a quarter of intra-European capacity is concentrated onto 5% of routes. Meanwhile, thin routes with fewer than 50,0000 annual seats make up 42% of Europe’s short-haul network but represent just 6% of capacity.
“Four in five thin routes have just one airline serving them,” ERA said. “Smaller markets can have significantly fewer alternatives when a service changes or disappears … Europe’s aviation network cannot be understood through passenger volumes alone.”
The European Commission is finalizing its future Aviation Strategy, which is expected imminently.
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