Economic matters update
Paris/videoconference, 23-24 March 2023 — European economic experts gathered on 23 and 24 March for respectively the 8th meeting of the ECAC Network of Chief Economists and the 15th meeting of the Economic Working Group. The Network of Chief Economists picked up the theme of the ECAC Directors General Forum in December 2022 on the lessons learnt from the summer 2022 challenges faced by the air transport sector.
Participants exchanged information on statistics and other data to forecast passenger and flight numbers for 2023. They reflected on the variable results of 2022 in relation to carrier financial fitness, airport operations and the impacts of external factors, in the context of ongoing recovery.
At the Economic Working Group meeting the following day, the members of the network presented suggestions on key challenge areas to focus on before their next meeting in 2024, namely: to increase ECAC’s understanding of ongoing ground handling labour issues, and to explore the lack of data available on business aviation.
The Economic Working Group meeting offered the occasion for further exchange on economic matters, which included discussing recent engagement with airlines on airport charges post-COVID, and an in-depth look at global trends in domestic and international air transport traffic. The group agreed to meet virtually for two dedicated information sharing sessions in 2023, and examined the conclusions from the Paris Agreement 1956 survey issued in December 2022.