Europe’s airports are joining the celebrations for the 20th anniversary of the EU’s biggest enlargement in two decades, presenting evidence of the virtuous circle of closer integration that is increasing demand for air travel, in turn boosting social cohesion across Europe.
On 1 May 2004, ten countries joined the European Union as newly acceded Member States, including Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Cyprus, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Latvia, Malta, Poland, Slovakia and Slovenia. This landmark accession wave enlarged the EU community by 20% in population, 18% in terms of territory covered and 9% in terms of GDP.
The new ACI EUROPE analysis shows that there has been continued convergence between the original 15 EU Member States and the new 10 acceding Member States in terms of demand for air travel. This has resulted in a rapid expansion of air connectivity and a much higher passenger growth rate compared to the EU-15 countries.
Air connectivity has created:
- Good contact and a closer relationship between Europe’s airports and their communities. At the same time, there was a boost to their economic performance, as every 10% increase in a country’s direct connectivity yields a +0.5% increase in GDP per capita.
- Air travelers increased by +215% in the acceding countries, as the EU-15 countries continued to grow at a slower rate (+77%), indicating the maturity of their market prior to enlargement. This dynamic growth in the acceding countries is attributed to factors such as economic growth and convergence, improved infrastructure, alignment of business and service standards and increased integration into the EU market.
- A decrease in the ratio of population to air passengers in the acceding countries to 0.59 compared to 2.31 before accession. The significant reduction in this ratio in the new EU Member States has enhanced cohesion across the EU bloc as more EU citizens have had access to air travel.
“Today we celebrate the European project and the important milestone in its progress that was the 2004 enlargement. It means that aviation has developed closer links, promoted convergence and boosted the economies of the new enlarged bloc over the last two decades. The dynamic expansion of air connectivity and the growth in passenger numbers have led to a virtuous circle, as greater integration has generated greater demand for air travel, which in turn has further strengthened the social and economic fabric of the Union and contributed to its cohesion. The figures we are sharing today are a positive signal for the nine candidate countries and indeed for the EU bloc as a whole as it aims to enlarge further. It also means that sustainable and competitive air connectivity must remain a top priority for the EU in the next 5-year policy cycle – for passengers, communities and the planet.” said Olivier Jankovec, Director General ACI EUROPE.
Last January, ACI EUROPE delivered a series of strategies and policy proposals to the EU institutions on transport policy, which focused on 3 key priorities:
1. Enabling effective decarbonisation of aviation – while preserving the socio-economic benefits of aviation connectivity.
2. Ensuring and strengthening the integrity of the single aviation market.
3. Enabling resilient, digitised and green airports.
