The European Regions Airline Association (ERA) has demanded a “balanced approach” to environmental controls in the European Union transport industry following the publication of its new study on the noise performance of the continent’s regional airline fleet. The “Growing Quieter” report concluded that the noise generated by the average regional aircraft is about half what it was in the early 1970s. And by 2010, the report notes, the average noise level is likely to be less than two-thirds of today’s levels and around 40 percent below the International Civil Aviation Organization’s expected Stage 4 limits.
ERA has accused European Commission (EC) transport and environmental regulators of discriminating in favor of road and rail links, while continuing to treat aviation as a pariah mode of transport by preparing new fiscal penalties for flying. The group also resents EC subsidies that it maintains exceed E13 billion ($11.8 billion) for Europe’s high-speed rail network, amounting to a full 38 percent of the rail system’s total income. The new rail network is being built at a cost of approximately E3.25 billion ($2.96 billion) per 150 km (93 mi), which, according to ERA, is equivalent to just over three-quarters of the annual operating budget for Eurocontrol.
