Brussels, 17/01/2013 (Agence Europe) - According to Association of European Airline (AEA) statistics, European airlines were in the red in 2012 and the situation is barely expected to improve in 2013. The AEA has blamed fuel prices and the protracted crisis in Europe, as well as the lack of ambition on the part of the EU27 with regard to a number of aviation issues (ETS, ground handling, Single European Sky).
According to AEA statistics for 2012 and forecasts for this year, European airlines will find it tough climbing back to where they were before the 2008-2009 crisis hit. Freight traffic in 2012 will end with a decline of 4% (comparing to 2011) and 8% below 2008 levels. Passenger traffic, however, even experienced an increase of 2.9% over 2011. “To cope with the existing and upcoming challenges, we see that our members are making tremendous efforts to cut internal costs and increase revenue. This year alone 17,000 job losses have been announced within our member airlines. But despite these measures, consistently high external costs will continue to erode our airlines' profitability”, said Athar Husain Khan, acting Secretary General of AEA. He is calling on member states to provide more practical support to the aviation sector by helping them to achieve as soon as possible, early next year, the Single European Sky, a comprehensive resolution to the Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) question and a regulation on ground handling. (MD/transl.fl)