On the occasion of the EU-India Aviation Summit kicking off in New Delhi, ACI Asia-Pacific and ACI EUROPE jointly called on India and the European Union (EU) to establish a comprehensive aviation agreement to liberalize traffic rights and boost regulatory alignment, including the acceleration of decarbonization policies between the two regions.
India’s aviation sector has been amongst the fastest growing in the world, with ACI’s long-term forecast indicating that by 2041 India is expected to grow by 339% over 2022, reaching 1.1 billion passengers flown. This will result in fast increasing demand on EU-India routes.
Therefore, it is essential for India and the EU to work on a comprehensive aviation agreement that would effectively enable the development of air connectivity by removing current traffic rights limitations and red tape.
Olivier Jankovec, Director General of ACI EUROPE said, “Liberal aviation agreements have become a staple of successful economic development strategies – with the connectivity they unleash being key to attract inward investment, achieve economic diversification and support livelihoods. All this shows there is so much more at stake than just aviation in what we are discussing today in New Delhi. There is no doubt that a comprehensive aviation agreement between the EU and India would be a game-changer on many levels. While the benefits would primarily accrue to consumers and communities on both sides, it would also enable closer cooperation and progress in delivering on the industry’s ambitious climate goals. We therefore urge both the EU and India to move forward and start negotiations as soon as possible.”
Stefano Baronci, Director General of ACI Asia-Pacific said: “The economic and social implications of a stronger cooperation between the EU and India are clear to all, given the strong perspective to growth of these two partners. Consumers in India would be the first beneficiary of a closer cooperation, with less hurdles and more choices to fly, more competitive prices and improved service more respectful of the environment. All this is subject to ensuring a strong commitment by both parties to further liberalises traffic rights, simplify the VISA issuance to fly to the Schengen area, introduce a one-stop-security regime to unleash the potentials of Indian airports as international hubs and secure public and private investment for the decarbonization of the sector.”
ACI Asia-Pacific & ACI EUROPE Call for Comprehensive EU-India Aviation Agreement
