…
On the occasion of the 10th DME Connections Forum taking place in Moscow, organised by Moscow Domodedovo airport with the support of ACI Europe, the European airport trade body called for closer integration of the Russian aviation market with the rest of Europe.
The event followed the recent meeting in Moscow of the EU Transport Commissioner, Mr Siim Kallas, with the Russian Transport Minister, Mr Igor Levitin. This meeting resulted in an agreement for increased EU-Russia cooperation on aviation, so as to address outstanding issues and impediments to market development.
With 10.7 million passengers flying on EU-Russia air routes in 2009, the EU ranks as the 1st aviation market for Russia and Russia is the EU’s 4th aviation market. The prospect for further growth is considerable, primarily driven by continued increase in consumer spending in Russia – which will translate into fast growing demand for outbound travel to the rest of Europe. This market expansion would not only have a positive impact for Russian and EU airports, but would also benefit our economies as trade and commercial exchanges would be facilitated.
In order to unleash this potential, ACI Europe considers that a single, comprehensive and non-discriminatory EU-Russia aviation agreement should be established as soon as possible. The agreement would replace the array of restrictive bilateral aviation agreements presently applicable between Russia and individual EU Member States. It would require the elimination of unilateral charges distorting competition, such as those levied on non-Russian airlines for Siberia overflights. Finally, by creating a framework for closer cooperation on technical and regulatory issues, it would also support the modernisation and development of Russian airports.
Participating in the Forum, Ad Rutten, President ACI EUROPE, said “We expect demand for air services between Russia and the EU to double within the next 10 years. For Russian and EU-based airports alike, this is a tremendous opportunity to develop their network – with the prospect of new air routes and increased frequencies on existing ones. But for such developments to materialise, we urgently need a new, liberalised and non-discriminatory regulatory regime for aviation between Russia and the EU.”
He added “The fact that Commissioner Kallas and Minister Levitin have now agreed to work towards a comprehensive EU-Russia aviation agreement is encouraging. We can only hope that meaningful progress can be achieved quickly. It is high time that aviation relations between Russia and the EU moved away from vested interests and outdated restrictions. This is about putting consumers and businesses first; there can be no justification for sticking with the status quo.”
Vicky is the co-founder of TravelDailyNews Media Network where she is the Editor-in Chief. She is also responsible for the daily operation and the financial policy. She holds a Bachelor's degree in Tourism Business Administration from the Technical University of Athens and a Master in Business Administration (MBA) from the University of Wales. She has many years of both academic and industrial experience within the travel industry. She has written/edited numerous articles in various tourism magazines.
