While wrangling over blame for weather disruption at European airports continues long after the snow has melted, it is Europe's ability to meet future air travel demand that is likely to dominate airport and airline minds in the longer term.
Snow wreaked havoc at a number of European airports at the end of last year, with an estimated 35,000 flights cancelled. The financial cost of the disruption has begun to emerge - easyJet has said the bad weather cost it £18 million ($28.8 million), while London Heathrow airport operator BAA put the cost at £24 million as the number of passengers at the airport fell 11%.
Airlines were angered as they saw some airports closed or operating at reduced capacity, while others were far less affected despite heavier snowfalls. Virgin Atlantic even began withholding landing fees at Heathrow until an inquiry into the disruption at the airport is completed, before dropping this part of its protest.
Airports also came under fire from Europe's transport commissioner Siim Kallas. He called on them to "get serious" about planning for severe weather, saying better preparation, as seen at northern European airports was "not an optional extra".
European airports hit back, insisting severity of the weather represented truly exceptional circumstances. "Paris Charles de Gaulle increased its de-icing stock 50% last year. By the end of December, it had used four times more than it ever had before. This is an indication of the scale of the situation," says Olivier Jankovec, director general of airport operators' association ACI Europe.
"For us, what we really didn't like was the blanket approach. Each situation was different - and all the airports are different. It would not be reasonable that Heathrow or Charles de Gaulle should have the same weather experience or equipment as, say, Oslo. The airlines will not want to pay for that experience," he says. "But we are open to the fact airports may need to reflect [different weather conditions] in future plans."
Kallas is already taking steps to address the issue, having met 13 European airport chiefs in January. "We know that winter arrives every year and we should be ready for it," he says. "What we can do at European level is strengthen the regulatory framework, as is necessary, to help." This could underpin minimum service and quality requirements at airports for passengers.
For its part, ACI Europe argues it should be given more control over the different aspects that affect services, including ground handling. "We accept to be held accountable and to deliver performance targets but to be able to do that, we need to be in control of the infrastructure," says Jankovec. "We want airports to be recognised as the ground co-ordinators. We think we are best placed to do that job."
Major congested hubs such as Heathrow and Charles de Gaulle were among those worst hit during the snow disruption. "The capacity issue really is an extra challenge compounding the [weather disruption]," says Jankovec. "It means at congested airports it makes the recovery more difficult."
CAPACITY CHALLENGE
The latest Eurocontrol long-term growth forecast underlines the capacity challenge facing Europe's airport infrastructure, suggesting up to one-fifth of the extra demand may not be met. It says there could be a near doubling in annual flights to 16.9 million by 2030, but that growth will be limited by airport capacity.
"Between 0.7 and five million flights will be unaccommodated in 2030," it says. While noting the lower traffic levels of 2008 and 2009 have eased the pressure on capacity, it says "in the longer term the demand will grow and airports will not always be able to fully respond".
Addressing Europe's capacity issues will form part of the European Commission's soon-to-be-presented white paper on the future of air transport. Airports will form a key part of this in 2011, as assessing airport capacity will form part of the legislative proposals alongside revising the slot regulations and ground-handling directive.
As work continues on the wide-ranging white paper, Jankovec is encouraged that it is being aligned with other major policy papers. "For the first time, it's not just about transport, it is integrated into a climate and energy package." He adds that this is an opportunity to "set the record straight" that the EU is able to combine aviation growth with its environmental ambitions. "This is an important message to send to private investors," Jankovec says. "This is something the industry expects."
Source: Airline Business
