Several MEPs from the European Parliament's Sky and Space Intergroup sent a letter to the European Commission on Friday 22 May, in which they expressly requested that the aviation sector not be forgotten in the Green Recovery Fund’s priorities.
The letter’s signatories noted that the aviation sector has been hit hard by the Covid-19 crisis and that several economic operators in the sector are currently fighting for their survival. The sector particularly needs financial support to make its green transformation possible and to achieve the environmental standards set by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO). They noted that the civil sector was closely linked to defence and stated that investment was therefore essential to guarantee European sovereignty in the aviation sector as well.
Hence they are asking for: - a system of environmental incentives for airlines to be put in place to help them replace old aircraft; - increases in public funding and public co-financing rates in research and innovation for civil aviation; - a stimulus for the manufacture and consumption of sustainable aviation fuels; - greater investment in the European air traffic management system. (Original version in French by Pascal Hansens)