Paris, often called the 'city of lights', is also known to shine on many levels, whether it be economic, social or cultural. Hence it is no surprise that the French Government, through its Minister of Transport, Ms. Elisabeth Borne, picked the French capital to kick-off a series of roundtables and working groups referred to as the Assises Nationales du Transport Aérien’.Some of these meetings have also been scheduled in Toulouse and Lyon, two other major aviation locations.
Sitting at the various tables are all the relevant actors hailing from the different families that make up the French aviation landscape: the Civil Aviation Authority (DGAC), the air navigation service provider (DSNA), air transport associations (FNAM, BAR France, SCARA, and IATA), airport associations (UAF), and of course the flagship carrier: Air France-KLM. All of the latter (and more!) have the responsibility to work together on enhancing the competitiveness of the air transport industry.
Ms. Borne and her team identified five main working themes to create the proper conditions to successfully shape and develop the future of air transport:
Much like Russian dolls, these main themes contain in turn a wide array of smaller topics, which also explains why the ‘Assises’ will last six months!
At IATA, we welcome this excellent collaborative initiative, as enhancing our sector’s competitiveness is of paramount importance, particularly considering the passenger growth forecast for the next two decades (numbers are likely to double worldwide, with 500 million additional passengers in Europe), and to actively participate in the ‘Assises’. For Robert Chad, IATA’s Area Manager France, Belgium, and the Netherlands: “We are extremely satisfied to actively partake in various roundtables and working groups, providing our truly global vision and expertise to the discussions”. Some of the issues that have or will be covered by our experts include environment, security, airspace modernization, taxation, airport charges, and innovation (through New Distribution Capability).
The ‘Assises Nationales du Transport Aérien’ initiative clearly symbolizes the importance of our industry to France and its Government, especially ahead of large events that the country will host such as the Rugby World Cup in 2023, and the Paris Olympic Games in 2024. These global sporting happenings will put France, its connectivity and infrastructure into the spotlight. We truly hope that working all together, the outcome of the ‘Assises’ will enable to increase France’s air transport competitiveness, all the while resonating with other countries in Europe and the world, enticing them to replicate this collaborative initiative at home
