ACI EUROPE responds to A4E claims on airport charges, fares and infrastructure investment

ACI EUROPE published (09-Mar-2018) 'Checked Facts', a new initiative to provide "informative, independently verified facts". ACI EUROPE responded to the following claims by Airlines for Europe (A4E):

• A4E claim: Charges at the largest European airports have doubled in 10 years, while average fares have fallen from EUR199 to EUR96. ACI EUROPE conversely said charges increased 25.4% at the airports cited by A4E. "That increase was exclusively driven by investment in capacity and quality and regulatory requirements in the fields of security and PRMs", ACI said. ACI also said prices paid for air tickets by consumers to airlines increased by 29%;
• A4E claim: Lower airport charges would be passed onto consumers by airlines, leading to lower air fares and boosting European economies. ACI EUROPE argued air fares are primarily driven by the level of airline competition on any given routes, along with fuel cost and labour cost - not airport charges;
• A4E claim: Current regulatory system incentivises airports to spend exorbitant amounts of money at the expense of airlines and passengers. ACI said: "Europe needs more airport capacity to accommodate the traffic growth that is forecast. Eurocontrol has confirmed this in its Challenges of Growth studies".

ACI concluded: "A4E's position on airport charges reflects their desire to restrict airport investment, limiting access by new airline competitors. At capacity constrained airports, European passengers are already paying EUR2.1bn in higher fares, due to the congestion and the ability of airlines to extract scarcity rents, as no new competitors can enter the market". [more - original PR]