4 November 2020 - The 11th ECAC/EU Dialogue with the European air transport industry, organised by ECAC in cooperation with the European Commission and under the auspices of the German EU Presidency, took place virtually on 4 November.
In its 25th year, the Dialogue attracted a record-breaking 300 participants from 70 States, industry associations, airlines, airports and the press.
Addressing 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 lively 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.
In her concluding remarks, Ingrid Cherfils underlined the importance of all actors in the sector working together. "We need to adopt and implement innovative solutions that combine both the financial needs of the sector and public health requirements, and this can only be achieved with a strong, clear and common vision of the air transport sector we want for our economies, and by strong cooperation between all those involved in this common vision," she said.
Johann Friedrich Colsman, Director General for Civil Aviation, Germany recognised sustainability as being "both one of the main challenges and opportunities that the aviation sector faces in the near and long future." Speaking of the importance of modernising the air traffic management system and implementation of the Single European Sky package, he reiterated the agreement at the Aviation Summit held this summer under the Germany Presidency: "The Single European Sky is an essential part of achieving environmental goals and making aviation more efficient and sustainable."
Filip Cornelis, European Commission Director for Aviation, highlighted the need to increase consumer confidence. "Without the trust of passengers there simply will not be a recovery," he said. "This is the case both in terms of certainty of passenger rights and harmonisation of border measures, including in relation to testing and quarantine."