The European Travel Commission (ETC) has joined a call issued by several associations representing Europe’s aviation sector for EU leaders to prioritize specific de-carbonisation initiatives in their allocation of future Covid-19 recovery funding.
European aviation continues to suffer from a drop in air travel linked to the Covid-19 pandemic, and the impact continues to increase as time goes by. These challenges are compounded by the need to meet climate change goals going forward.
Ensuring an accelerated deployment of existing de-carbonisation solutions and adequate investments to bring new technologies forward will be key. Investment in these areas should be at the heart of the EU’s COVID-19 recovery strategy. Existing financial instruments, such as loans, could also be made available to provide relief.
Europe’s aviation sector is committed to contributing to the recovery of European economies in line with the Green Deal objectives. The sector calls on policymakers to include smart measures to support Europe’s civil aviation during its recovery.
This would require that aviation climate action is eligible for funding under the mechanisms foreseen by Next Generation EU and the new Multi-annual Financial Framework (MFF).
A combination of public and private investment is necessary to speed up the work towards de-carbonisation of the sector, which is in line with the EU goal of climate neutrality by 2050.
- Boosting the production and uptake of Sustainable Aviation Fuels (SAFs) in Europe through a dedicated and stable set of policy measures and public investment plans. Such measures would notably be welcomed within the “ReFuel EU Aviation-Sustainable Aviation Fuels” initiative and include:
- Direct capital investment (or ownership) in SAF production facilities, enabling the necessary de-risking required to debt finance projects as well as the execution of off-take contracts with aircraft operators.
- Making Europe the centre of excellence for the development and production of SAFs through the construction and funding of commercial scale SAF projects from globally approved technology pathways.
- Implement a green incentive scheme for airlines and aircraft operators to replace older aircraft (fixed wing and helicopters) with more modern and environmentally friendly aircraft. Use public funds dedicated to the recovery to provide such incentives to aircraft operators. On average, new aircraft models are 20% – 25% more fuel-efficient and produce less noise compared to previous generations. Such an incentive scheme would speed up the green transition towards the EU’s shorter term ambition of 2030.
- Increase public funding and public co-funding rates for Civil Aviation Research & Innovation (Clean Aviation and SESAR): Use resources from the recovery funds to inject additional capital beyond the amount that will be provided through the MFF and Horizon Europe. European disruptive technologies and innovative fuels, including hydrogen, can generate deep and long-term emissions reductions towards the EU’s Climate Neutrality in 2050. Such funds should benefit all stakeholders that will need to contribute to the deployment of new technologies, including airports.
- Continued investment in the European Air Traffic Management system (ATM): Enhance the benefits of the Single European Sky and provide temporarily 100% public funding for the deployment of SESAR technologies with proven sustainable and environmental benefits.
- Investment in sustainable airport and heliport infrastructure: Ensure eligibility of projects related to energy efficiency, renewable energy and electrification (e.g. improving the energy efficiency of terminal buildings, renewable energy generation on-site, supply of electrical ground power to aircraft on stand, electrification of ground vehicle fleets, etc.)
