Speech at A4E assembly

Ladies and gentlemen, dear all,

It's good to be back with you again – I have good memories of our constructive debate last year!

A lot has changed since then. COVID is finally behind us. But we are not yet back to business-as-usual in aviation. Russia's ongoing brutal war against Ukraine continues to impose restrictions – our airspace is currently limited to just 80%.

So, while the good news is that travel is up - with traffic likely to reach on average around 95% of 2019 levels in July and August this year– the bad news is that this will inevitably increase the risk of delays as skies become more crowded than ever.

Of course, we would be in a much better place had our Single European Sky reform proposals been taken forward – allowing us not only to reduce congestion, but also to ensure CO2 savings of around 10% through more fuel-efficient routes.

While it is too late for this summer, I am still hopeful that we will see progress on this important file later this year. In the meantime, we need to work on rolling out available technologies that can support improved flight efficiency wherever possible. The support of our SESAR Joint Undertaking and Deployment Manager are key in this respect.

[Summer chaos]

Ladies and gentlemen,

We have a real chance to get aviation back on track after the troubles of past years, so you cannot afford to repeat the chaos of last summer. This would severely dent consumer confidence.

Asides from the ATM challenge, staff shortages and discontent were the cause of much of last summer's chaos. Continuous social dialogue is key in this respect, and I appreciate the efforts that I know are ongoing. On our side, the Commission remains committedto social dialogue as a cornerstone of the EU social market economy and competitiveness, and has presented recommendations on further strengthening and promoting social dialogue through concrete actions.

We are also doing what we can to support recruitment and maintain quality employment in the sector. Alongside horizontal measures, such as the European Skills Agenda, we have set up a forum for assistance and exchange of good practices within our Women in Transport – Platform for Change.

EASA is also working on harmonised rules for training and a safety culture for ground handling staff. And it is in the process of developing training and licensing requirements for air traffic controllers. This would make these staff more mobile, helping to address shortages.

[Passenger rights]

Of course, building up consumer confidence also means ensuring that their rights are properly safeguarded. The frameworks we have in place are already among the strongest in the world, but post-COVID, we are looking at what we can do to fortify them further still. You know that we will present a new legislative proposal and I would like to thank A4E and its members for participating so actively in our stakeholder consultation. We have taken note of your views on issues such as illiquidity, on tickets bought via intermediary vendors, on multimodal journeys and more.

I also share your frustration that our 2013 proposal on air passenger rights is not moving. This is a regular topic of discussion with the Council Presidencies. I can however tell you that any future proposals will not alter the one already on the table.

[Decarbonisation]

Longer term, the biggest challenge remains the decarbonisation of aviation. Here, I see some worrying trends, with some Member States touting demand limitation measures. I myself do not see flight bans or caps as a viable option. They will only serve to restrict citizens' right to free movement, damage regional connectivity, and hamper aviation's ability to invest in its decarbonisation.

From my perspective, we have three credible pillars of action: cleaner fuels, fleet renewal and, of course, greater flight efficiency, which I have already touched upon.

[ReFuelEU]

When it comes to clean fuels, I am pleased to say that the Parliament and Council are nearing an agreement on our ReFuelEU proposal. Sustainable Alternative Fuels have huge decarbonisation potential for aviation, using existing infrastructure and aircraft. Our proposal will help ramp up production and uptake of SAF in the EU – both biofuels and e-fuels.

In fact, ReFuelEU is already having a remarkable effect on the SAF industry. So many projects have been announced in recent months, and many more are waiting for this Regulation so that they can press the ‘START' button.

[NZIA/GDIP]

Of course, we need to make sure that we have in place a sufficiently attractive framework conditions for companies to want to produce SAFs here in Europe, at a reasonable cost. That is why we fought hard to get SAF technologies recognised as net-zero technologies in the Commission's recent Net-Zero Industry Act. This will give a regulatory boost to accelerate projects in the pipeline, while the Net-Zero Europe Platform can help to prioritise investments and overcome financing bottlenecks.

Naturally, private investment across the board will remain essential given the massive investment needs. And a key role of public institutions is to make those sustainable investments more attractive so we can speed up decarbonisation.

[Fleet renewal]

To this end, our shared commitment to zero-emission aircraft is clear from the billions of euros committed through partnerships like the Clean Aviation Joint Undertaking and the Zero-emission Aviation Alliance. Still, developing and commercialising these technologies will take at least 15 years. Replacing the entire fleet will take several decades more.

This is why we need transitional technologies: SAF, but also more efficient aircraft. Switching existing fleets to the latest generation, best-in-class aircraft can grant us immediate CO2 savings of around 25% per flight. This is no ‘small saving' in the face of the looming climate emergency. Not to mention that these planes will have to be compatible with 100% SAF use as of 2028 – so these “transition” aircraft actually have the potential to become zero-emission.

However, today, given the long lifespans of aircraft, the price differentials, and the fragile state of airline balance sheets post-COVID, there is little incentive for airlines to replace their fleet earlier than needed – especially if there is no recognition of their efforts to decarbonise. That is why I welcome the recommendation of the EU's Platform on Sustainable Finance to include aviation in the EU taxonomy. This can be a game-changer in helping the sector make the switch to cleaner planes as swiftly as possible.

Ladies and gentlemen,

I am proud of how Europe's aviation sector is stepping up to the challenge of decarbonisation. I know that this comes at a cost and therefore places you at competitive pressure from third countries with lesser climate ambition. However, I can assure you that the Commission will continue to push for a global level playing field.

We all want a strong aviation sector, part of a more sustainable and resilient transport sector. I can assure you of my continuous support I wish you a constructive and fruitful day.