New European airline lobbying group welcomed
Foreign Airlines Association chairman Colin Stewart has welcomed the launch of a European lobbying group for the industry.
He believes the new group, Airlines for Europe (A4E), will grow from its current membership of five airline groups – Air France-KLM, EasyJet, International Airlines Group, Lufthansa Group and Ryanair.
The groups, which carry more than 50% of passengers in Europe, want to campaign on at least three key issues:
– reducing European airport costs
– providing safe and efficient airspace by reducing the cost of air traffic control
– stimulating greater economic activity and employment by creating an appropriate regulatory framework.
"We are delighted to hear about the launch of new airline lobby group," said Stewart.
"Whilst BAR UK plays a vital role on a national level, representation across Europe is an extremely welcome development.
"The voice of the airline industry needs to be heard and with the ‘big five’ already steering the way, I am certain A4E will successfully and rapidly grow its member base and implement essential changes to the benefit of the industry and of passengers across the continent."
Bev
Editor in chief Bev Fearis has been a travel journalist for 25 years. She started her career at Travel Weekly, where she became deputy news editor, before joining Business Traveller as deputy editor and launching the magazine’s website. She has also written travel features, news and expert comment for the Guardian, Observer, Times, Telegraph, Boundless and other consumer titles and was named one of the top 50 UK travel journalists by the Press Gazette.
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