French Government Should Implement New Recommendations on Economic Regulation of Airports

The French government is being urged by several aviation industry organizations, including the member airlines of the “Fédération Nationale de l’Aviation Marchande” (FNAM), the “Syndicat des Compagnies Aériennes Autonomes” (SCARA), the Board of Airlines Representatives France (BAR), Airlines For Europe (A4E), and the International Air Transport Association (IATA), to adopt the recent recommendations put forth by the French Transport Regulatory Authority (ART) for the regulation of airports in France.

The ART has conducted an exhaustive and top-tier analysis, involving consultations with diverse stakeholders, resulting in the release of 19 precise recommendations. These recommendations are designed to achieve the following objectives:

1. Enhancing transparency and collaboration among stakeholders, with a specific focus on investment and service quality.
2. Promoting improved operational performance by introducing additional economic incentives.
3. Ensuring stability through multi-year contracts that guarantee airport commercial activities generate economic returns sufficient to cover airport expenses.

The undersigned associations endorse numerous of these suggestions and strongly encourage the government to put them into practice. Nonetheless, in the passengers’ best interests, we advocate for the adoption of the single till model in French airports, as it emulates the results of a competitive market. All in all, we perceive these recommendations as a stride towards a more efficient, equitable, and enduring regulation of French airports. Consequently, we call upon the authorities to integrate them into the forthcoming airport economic regulation reform and extend their application to all regulated airports in France.