Europe’s airports are facing future-proofing challenges, such as investment constraints, financial viability decoupling from volume growth, regulatory adjustments, and the need to take control of their capacity and performance to adapt to the evolving aviation market and environmental imperatives.
Director General Olivier Jankovec highlighted the diverse performance levels among European airports, with some countries experiencing exponential passenger growth while others lag behind in traffic volumes. Jankovec emphasized the competitive pressures shaping airport fortunes, underscoring the need for operational resilience, digitalization, and capacity enhancements.
Financial imbalances and investment squeezes driven by increased non-aeronautical revenues and higher operational costs post-pandemic pose a challenge to airport sustainability. Jankovec warned of the need for airport charges to increase to meet the estimated €360 billion investment requirements by 2040, particularly focusing on the ‘user pays’ principle.
Jankovec critiqued existing regulatory frameworks in some countries for prioritizing airlines’ interests over public welfare and environmental concerns, calling for a shift towards a user-centric approach. He stressed the importance of decoupling financial viability from volume growth to address climate action, capacity limitations, and enhance operational efficiency, advocating for airports to take control of their capacity and performance through digitalization and innovation initiatives.
