Association of European Airlines

Flag carriers of the former Yugoslavia urged to unite

National carriers in countries of the former Yugoslavia are struggling to survive in the current economic environment as operating costs rise and they face competition from large network carriers and expanding low-cost carriers. The former Yugoslavian nations of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Montenegro, Serbia and Slovenia all have national airlines but are struggling to become profitable, while the national carriers of Kosovo and Macedonia have already failed and have not been revived. 

Association of European Airlines (AEA) secretary general Ulrich Schulte Strathaus recently told Slovenian newspaper Dnevnik that national carriers in the former Yugoslavia need to unite into a single carrier in order to survive. Mr Strathaus stated, “the once single Yugoslav market is now fragmented and a regional solution is necessary. The region needs an airline that would cover local needs and connect with global hubs.”

The main airlines in the region are Bosnia and Herzegovina’s B&H Airlines, Croatia’s Croatia Airlines, Montenegro’s Montenegro Airlines, Serbia’s Jat Airways and Slovenia’s Adria Airways.

Europe’s airlines press European Commission to ensure Single European Sky targets are met

There are few subjects that Europe’s airlines can agree on, but the lamentable state of the European air traffic control system is one of them. This week, industry bodies representing all sectors of the European air transport market blasted the efforts of European member states and their air navigation service providers (ANSPs) on reducing costs and increasing efficiency for falling short of where they should be.

Air traffic inefficiency and the high costs associated with Europe’s patchwork air traffic management (ATM) system are estimated to cost the European aviation industry between EUR4 billion and EUR5 billion p/a. The delays and inefficient routings punish both passengers and airlines, increasing flight times and distances and driving up fuel burn and greenhouse gas emissions, a particularly galling situation given the entry of aviation into the EU Emissions Trading Scheme next year.

European airlines and airports report traffic growth but not a reality for all

Association of European Airlines, ACI Europe and EUROCONTROL this month reported trends of continued traffic growth in 2011, although an imbalance between capacity and traffic growth has been noted, having a negative impact on load factors and likely also yields.

Ryanair lashes out at ATCOs' right to strike, again

As political and debate over public sector unions rages in the US, Ryanair has again lit off on one of its favourite subjects: air traffic controller strikes. The trigger point is once again Spain, where airport workers have threatened to strike over the planned privatisation of national airports operator AENA.

European airlines report single-digit traffic growth in 2010; profits remain weak

European airlines reported single-digit growth last year - a welcome improvement from 2009's depressed level - but 2010 was a lacklustre year overall. Full year data has been released by the Association of European Airlines (AEA), the European Low Fares Airline Association (ELFAA) and EUROCONTROL. As noted by EUROCONTROL, growth across the continent last year was driven mainly by LCCs.