EU looks East for air travel growth opportunities

Global aviation is changing dramatically and Europe has been harder hit by the recession than many other regions. On the 27 September 2012 the European Commission set out an ambitious package of proposals to boost the international competitiveness of the EU's aviation industry.

Aviation supports 5.1m jobs and contributes €365bn or 2.4% to European GDP. It makes a vital contribution to economic growth, employment, tourism, people-to-people contacts as well as the regional and social cohesion of the Union. Connectivity is key to competitiveness. The European aviation industry as a whole is still a world leader, but European carriers have been particularly hard hit by the economic crisis. IATA predicts that net profits of European commercial airlines will fall from $0.5bn in 2011 to a net loss of $1.1bn in 2012.

• Primary Source

European Commission: RAPID: Press Release, IP/12/1027; Transport: New horizons for EU aviation http://europa.eu/rapid/pressReleasesAction.do?reference=IP/12/1027&format=PDF&aged=0&language=EN&guiLanguage=en

European Commission; DG Mobility and Transport: Air: International aviation; External aviation policy http://ec.europa.eu/transport/air/international_aviation/external_aviation_policy/why_policy_en.htm

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