Europe’s regional airlines achieved 7.1 percent passenger growth during the first six months of 2011, according to figures published by the European Regions Airline Association (ERA) at its annual general assembly held in Rome last week. However, taking account of the severe disruption caused by volcanic ash from Iceland during the same period in 2010, the group estimated that the underlying growth was, in fact, closer to 4 percent.
Despite this seemingly encouraging growth trend, ERA director general Mike Ambrose still insisted that his members face an uphill struggle in the face of excessively burdensome regulation and discrimination on the part of European authorities. In February, the European Union (EU) transport commissioner Siim Kallas, in the so-called Bruges Declaration, said that given the critical importance of air transport to Europe’s economy, regulators should place no further burdens on the industry. In Ambrose’s view, the industry needs to hold him to this statement, because it still faces new obstacles and burdens.
