Article from BTNews 8 MAY 2017
What chance Open Skies?
Viewing Brexit as a UK problem is a mistake, delegates at the Routes Europe 2017 conference have been told.
London City Airport sales director Bernard Lavelle said Britain’s decision to leave the EU was a European problem which should encourage airports across the region to lobby for Open Skies agreements.
Lavelle noted the UK government had said aviation was a priority, but he questioned whether other EU member states felt the same. “I would hope my counterparts across Europe are having the same lobbying discussions with their governments that we are," he added.
Prof Keith Mason from the Centre for Air Transport Management, Cranfield University stressed how beneficial the EU had been in the rise of European aviation and warned that Brexit could impact domestic UK aviation and airline ownership.
Edinburgh Airport CEO Gordon Dewar said that with the right approach any challenges can be overcome: "It's about a willingness to make this work. We're going to need to ride the wave, but ultimately I'm optimistic that we'll end up with Open Skies." See also Routes Europe in this issue
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