There was no disguising the subdued, even solemn, mood of Europe’s regional airlines as they gathered for their annual general assembly in Salzburg, Austria, from October 1 to 3. At 6.3 percent, passenger growth for the first half of this year is markedly down from the double-digit growth enjoyed in recent years and, more seriously, yields are down right across the industry.
With no real certainty as to when the continuing economic downturn will be meaningfully reversed, and the prospect of still stronger competition from the new generation of no-frills carriers, airline presidents were more visibly careworn than at almost any European Regions Airline Association (ERA) meeting over the past decade. Despite this, attendance at the Salzburg gathering reached 559 delegates, markedly higher than last year’s assembly held in Athens, Greece, barely a month after September 11 and just a handful short of the record number drawn to the event held in Interlaken, Switzerland, in October 2000.
