ACI EUROPE urges Brexit negotiations to prioritise aviation

ACI EUROPE urged (21-Mar-2017) the UK to prioritise aviation in Brexit negotiations, in order to "provide clarity for passengers, airlines and airports so as to enable continued investment". ACI EUROPE also cautioned about the economic consequences of the UK aviation market "not remaining closely integrated" with the EU aviation market. According to ACI EUROPE:

• 53.5% of passengers handled by UK airports fly to/from the EU27;
• 11.5% of passengers handled by the EU 27 member state airports fly to/from the UK.

ACI EUROPE DG Olivier Jankovec said the aviation industry "will be left in the dark for many more months to come" due to the "sequencing" of Brexit negotiations. ACI EUROPE expects the negotiations to initially focus on agreeing exit terms for the UK, before eventually coming to define a new relationship. Mr Jankovec concluded: "This uncertainty will end up constraining route network development for airports, ultimately affecting air connectivity for their communities". [more - original PR]