IATA director general and CEO Giovanni Bisignani was the guest speaker
at the Aviation Club last week. In a robust and thoroughly
entertaining speech, he attacked European mainland airports for their
double-digit charge increases between 2001 and 2004 ” Paris airports
+44%, Stockholm +35%, Amsterdam +34%, Munich +26% and the Spanish
airports +24%. Manchester and Birmingham both came in for praise
reducing costs per passenger by 38% and 13% respectively. The
diminutive and highly experienced Italian noted that IATA was taking
the French government to court and asking for a European directive on
the efficient National Regulation of Europe”s airport monopolies. He
also debunked some persistent myths, noting that domestic aviation was
included in the Kyoto agreement and that air transport contributes
only a small part of global CO2 emissions at 2%. He pointed air
transport also supports 8% of the global economic activity, fuel
efficiency has improved 20% over the last decade and when it comes to
paying tax on fuel, he highlighted that airlines pay when they land,
when they fly and when they park, a totally different scenario
compared with road and rail transport.
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