The International Air Transport Association (IATA) welcomes the European Commission's ruling for fair competition with respect to subsidies at European airports. "We are happy to see governments are taking action to eliminate market distortions caused by subsidies," said Giovanni Bisignani IATA Director General and CEO.
"The value chain in the air transport industry is clearly warped and subsidizing a single market sector only adds to market distortion. It is encouraging to see policy makers working towards an effective and efficient overall air transport industry, the starting point for which is a level playing field," said Bisignani.
IATA is leading an industry-wide campaign to increase efficiency. "The commercial reality is that all the industry must evolve to a new and lower cost structure. Reduced airport costs reflecting greater efficiency is a demand of all airlines," said Bisignani. "We are looking for a fair, efficient and competitive marketplace—not handouts."