EUROPEAN CIVIL AVIATION CONFERENCE - CONFÉRENCE EUROPÉENNE DE L'AVIATION CIVILE

ECAC/EU Dialogue with the European air transport industry

ECAC and the European Commission work in close cooperation on all aspects of European air transport. In 1995, they agreed that it would be worthwhile to periodically bring together leaders of the air transport industry – representing scheduled, non-scheduled and regional airlines as well as airport management – with the Directors General of ECAC's Member States.

The objective was to provide a forum that would facilitate open and thought-provoking discussions between the regulators and senior aviation industry representatives on a wide range of air transport issues, and to assess future implications and challenges.

Since 1995, eleven ECAC/EU Dialogues have taken place across Europe. Typically organised every two or three years, they have covered a wide range of topics, including airport capacity, economic issues, aviation and the environment, air passenger rights, improving the passenger experience and whether this should be achieved through competition or regulation, the competitiveness of the European air transport sector in a global environment and financing aviation.

The Dialogues attract approximately 150 delegates who are principally Directors General of Civil Aviation and their senior colleagues, and senior representatives of European airlines, airport operators, air navigation service providers, manufacturers, academics and European industry organisations. They continue to offer a welcome forum for the air transport industry and thanks to the seniority of the speakers contributing to each event, provide a stimulating and informative debate.

The most recent edition was held virtually on 4 November 2020 on the theme "Restart, Reconnect, Recover - Rebuilding Aviation in a Changed World". The Dialogue was opened by ECAC President Ingrid Cherfils and featured a welcome address by Parliamentary State Secretary of the German Federal Ministry of Transport and Digital Infrastructure Steffen Bilger, and a keynote speech by Henrik Hololei, Director-General for Mobility and Transport in the European Commission. Across four  panel debate sessions, the panellists and moderators, representing a broad range of high-level aviation stakeholders, explored the economic and financial impact of the COVID-19 crisis on aviation, the public's perception of air travel, the consequences for environmental initiatives and the impact of the crisis on implementation of the Single European Sky.

Upcoming Dialogue:

2023 ECAC-EU Dialogue - Valencia, Spain

 

Most recent Dialogue:

11th ECAC/EU Dialogue: Restart, Reconnect, Recover - Rebuilding Aviation in a Changed World, 4 November 2020


We continue to monitor the COVID-19 outbreak and follow the guidelines and advice from trusted authorities such as the World Health Organization (WHO) and national health authorities.

We advise our public and meeting participants to regularly check the ECAC website or specific meeting portals for the latest information.

Calendar of events and meetings

Download here the provisional calendar of ECAC meetings for September-December 2023 and 2024 (issue 24 August 2023), by field of activity.

Please note this calendar is for information purposes only, dates and locations may change.