Brussels, 11 December 2024
The European Commission has launched today a public consultation inviting all interested parties to comment on a proposed targeted revision of the 2014 Guidelines on State aid to airports and airlines (the ‘Aviation Guidelines’). Interested parties can respond to the consultation until 5 March 2025.
The Aviation Guidelines offer specific guidance on the notion of aid and the conditions for State aid in the aviation sector to be compatible with the single market.
To cater for the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Aviation Guidelines were amended in July 2023 to prolong the initial 10-year transitional period for operating aid to all regional airports by a further 3 years, from April 2024 (when it was originally due to expire) until April 2027.
Against the background of the developments in the aviation sector, the 2023 prolongation on the operating aid provisions and the results of the 2020 State aid Fitness Check, the Commission plans to review the Aviation Guidelines. For that purpose, the public consultation launched today takes the form of a questionnaire that will enable stakeholders and the broader public to participate in the review process and make their voices heard, which will ultimately help the Commission to identify the necessary changes and better design the new rules. The Commission published a call for evidence in August 2024 to start the review.
Stakeholders can submit their responses to the questionnaire until 5 March 2025.
Next steps
The Commission aims at finalising the review by mid-2027.
Background
The aviation sector has evolved significantly since the adoption of the Aviation Guidelines in 2014. In 2020, the Commission conducted an evaluation of the Aviation Guidelines as part of the State aid Fitness Check. That evaluation showed that adjustments of the rules in the medium-term are needed to reflect the developments in the aviation sector as well as to embrace the green and digital transitions in line with the Commission’s priorities, in particular those of the future Clean Industrial Deal.
Quote(s)
Today, we invite all interested parties to share their views on the proposed targeted revision of the Aviation Guidelines. The aviation sector has undergone significant changes in the last 10 years since the current guidelines have entered into force, including the economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and Russia’s war against Ukraine. Gathering information from the market, consumers and public authorities is vital for us to understand how the changed market environment and the 2014 Aviation Guidelines have impacted the aviation industry and whether the instruments remain appropriate or need to be changed and how. We also want to hear views of stakeholders on how the Aviation Guidelines, together with existing instruments, could contribute to the objectives of the future Clean Industrial Deal and the green transition in the aviation sector.
Teresa Ribera, Executive Vice-President for Clean, Just and Competitive Transition
Source – EU Commission