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The recent IATA Wings of Change Europe Conference held in Rome called for the European Union to prioritize competitiveness and sustainability in its aviation policies. Filip Cornelis, Director for Aviation at the European Commission's DG MOVE, highlighted the new Commission's likely policy continuity with a greater focus on competitiveness based on the Draghi report recommendations. He emphasized that there would be no deviation from current sustainability goals, stating that aviation should aim to be "bright green, not hopelessly brown."
A panel of CEOs including Andrea Bernassi from ITA Airways, Luis Gallego of IAG, Christian Scherer from Airbus, and IATA Director General Willie Walsh further discussed enhancing Europe's competitive edge. They advocated for reforming EU 261 and taking measures to prevent the decline of the Single European Sky initiative. The panel criticized taxation as an ineffective tool for advancing sustainability objectives.
Walsh remarked, “Europe must understand that its overregulation is reducing the global competitiveness of European industries. The Draghi recommendations shouldn’t just be a report – they must be implemented. Key to that is a better approach to sustainability." He warned against taxing people off planes as it could reduce access to air travel without yielding environmental benefits. Instead, he suggested practical actions such as reviving the Single European Sky project and incentivizing sustainable aviation fuel production.
