Europe is the world's leading destination for tourism, culture and business. Its economic activity, its wealth, its way of life and its ability to defend the welfare state depend to a large extent on being the origin and destination of millions of travellers visiting Europe or flying within the Union. Airlines are the main drivers of this mobility. and are therefore essential to maintain the privileged position that the EU enjoys.
Airlines are the main drivers of mobility in Europe, and maintaining the strength of airlines must be a European priority.
The current health crisis has brought mobility to a standstill halfway around the world, especially in Europe. Airlines have had to freeze their routes and ground their entire fleets. The slump in activity over a prolonged period is unprecedented. The financial stress they are under, with huge fixed costs, ongoing orders for new aircraft and large staffing levels, is weakening their ability to recover. The prospects for getting back into the air: the evolution of the pandemic, uneven opening of borders, extraordinary security and health measures, passengers' fear of leaving their safe environment, all point to a slow and costly recovery.
Air connectivity will be essential for the recovery of our economies. And to achieve this, airlines will need to be in a position to recover activity. Mobility will not be massive again if many routes are not served, frequencies are low and fares are higher. The Americans have already understood this and have put in place a special plan for the survival of their airlines. Given the strategic value of aviation in EuropeIf we do not devise a plan and act quickly to help the airlines, recovery will be much slower. The support plan that is put in place should not distort the free market competition between airlines. A situation that has allowed us to enjoy airlines with modern fleets, a growing supply of routes and seats, and prices that have benefited all European citizens. Without strong and competitive air transport from day one, it will take longer.
Without strong and competitive air transport from day one of the recovery, everything will take longer and our leading position in the world will be threatened.
On the other hand, the global aerospace industry has two major players, Europe with Airbus and the US with Boeing.The airlines are world leaders with hundreds of thousands of skilled jobs in their supply chains. If the airlines suffer, the aviation industry suffers. The driving force for the industry is the need for new and better aircraft.. This agony in Europe and the US will give wings especially to China, which has long been striving to take the lead from the world's two big manufacturers by presenting itself as the new player. The only defence is to maintaining the technological edge that places the challengers years away, as is currently the case. But if the European aerospace industry goes through too long a phase of lethargy, more concerned with survival than innovation, by the time we wake up we will have competitors nipping at our heels and Europe will have lost years of advantage in the aerospace race.
For all the above reasons, aid to airlines must be a matter of priority at the European levelLet us not leave it to the discretion of the individual states of the Union. Let us have a European vision. Let us find in this crisis the definitive reason to become more Europe. To talk about Europe is not only to discuss internal solidarity, it is, above all, to look to the future together, with ambition and determination.
