On the occasion of marking 25 years, we reached out to some of the key decision-makers, influencers and organisations dealing with European air transport to see what they had to say about working with ACI EUROPE. Here are some of the highlights.
Violeta Bulc, EU Commissioner for Transport
“Congratulations ACI EUROPE on 25 years of service to the European aviation industry. ACI EUROPE has been a constructive and reliable partner for the European Commission, as it proved again during the preparation of the Aviation Strategy for Europe. I look forward to continuing this collaboration on some of the most pressing challenges that await the airport sector such as sustainability and digitalisation. When an industry speaks with one voice, progress is always easier, and the ambition always higher.”
Henrik Hololei, Director General, DG MOVE, European Commission
“Let me congratulate you in reaching this milestone. Having delivered a quarter of a century of service on behalf of European airports, and on behalf of all those who use them, is something you can rightly be very proud of. Since your foundation in 1991, the aviation sector in Europe has been transformed beyond belief. Opening up of the aviation market changed aviation forever and brought so many new opportunities but also challenges to the airports! Whether it was meeting the huge demand for air travel by the masses, dealing with capacity and congestion concerns or tackling environmental issues – ACI EUROPE has always been constructive in its approach.
“Because of its constructive approach, ACI EUROPE has grown to be the voice of over 500 airports in 45 European countries. It is a voice that the European Commission and I personally highly value – because although we might depart from different locations, and our preferred routes might also differ, our final destination has always been the same – an efficient and sustainable air transport sector in Europe, serving its citizens & businesses and providing connectivity!
“So today, as we look back, I want to say thank you for being part of that journey and we look forward to the next 25 years of continued close and constructive cooperation.”
Patrick Ky, Executive Director, EASA
“ACI EUROPE has been a very strong and committed partner of the European Aviation Safety Agency ever since EASA started to develop the European airport safety regulation in 2008. We value ACI’s operational and technical expertise and their contribution to a regulatory framework which is now fit for the future. We look forward to continuing this exemplary collaboration in order to maintain a balanced regulatory environment at the service of the European airport industry.”
Florian Guillermet, Executive Director, SESAR Joint Undertaking
“25 years ago the synergy between airports and air traffic management (ATM) needed improvement. In 2004, with the creation of the Single European Sky, airports became a central player in ATM with ACI playing a significant role alongside the SESAR European Airports Consortium (SEAC) in this endeavour. Since 2010, ACI EUROPE has shared with us their wealth of expertise, helping us to design operational and technological solutions which take into account the needs of small to medium-sized airports in particular. ACI EUROPE has also provided us with valuable support in raising awareness about our work among airport senior management. We look forward to many more years of collaboration together.”
Frank Brenner, Director General, EUROCONTROL
“ACI EUROPE has been a valued and trusted partner of EUROCONTROL since its foundation. Together we have delivered on some ground-breaking initiatives including A-CDM, Collaborative Environmental Management and the consistency of flight plans and airport slots avoiding wastage of slots – all flagship programmes for improving efficiency in airports around Europe. For EUROCONTROL, it is important to have a partner organisation such as ACI EUROPE that can consolidate and represent the needs and concerns of the airports as a whole and ensure that their voice is heard when it matters.”
MEMBERS OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT
Franck Proust MEP, Committee for Transport & Tourism, Vice-Chair “Sky and Space” intergroup, MEP Award 2015 in Transport
“On the occasion of ACI EUROPE’s 25th anniversary, it seems a good moment to remember a cause we shared. A short time ago, the European Commission wanted to reduce local authorities’ flexibility in order to financially help their airports. They focused only on the accounting balance and had never considered the induced incomes (205,000 jobs, €16 billion to GDP, supporting industries locally like maintenance, tourism, transport, logistics, new technologies). As ACI EUROPE regularly asserts, regional airports are powerful local development tools! I led the campaign to the President of the Commission, along with the support of many colleagues and we won: they changed their point of view. Still, together, we must remain aware and united because revisions could occur in the coming years. In the meantime, happy anniversary!”
Gesine Meissner MEP, Committee for Transport & Tourism (& ALDE Coordinator)
“Since I started working in the Transport Committee ACI has always been a reliable and very professional dialogue partner. Representing all major airports and many more, ACI EUROPE is definitively one of the important players in EU transport policy. Congratulations on your 25th anniversary!”
Inés Ayala Sender MEP, Committee for Transport & Tourism
“As I always like to say, airports are for MEPs our usual habitat. In the last 25 years we have been able to witness the major development of European airports, and of ACI EUROPE as their voice in the EU, answering positively to the challenge of globalisation as well as to the needs of passengers, airlines, cities and regions. For my part, I always appreciate the collaborative approach of ACI EUROPE and their efforts to track the progress of their sector and make a positive contribution to the political dialogue around various policy debates and issues at EU level. Happy 25th birthday ACI EUROPE!”
Daniel Dalton MEP, Committee for Transport & Tourism
“ACI EUROPE performs a vital role in giving a strong voice not only to regional airports, but to regions themselves. Airports such as Birmingham in the West Midlands are the lifeblood of our regional economies, developing trade links and driving investment. So I hope ACI EUROPE will continue to flourish in its next 25 years, championing regional aviation at a time when its importance to the future of transport in Europe is only set to grow.”
