European Airports Call on EU Leaders to Relax State Aid Rules

European Airlines are calling on European leaders to relax state air rules to help the recovery of the sector

European Airlines are calling on European leaders to relax state air rules to help the recovery of the sector which has been decimated due to the coronavirus pandemic.

According to a report in The Financial Times, Lobby group ACI Europe said its members were facing a “worsening situation” that needed to be “urgently” addressed through a “more effective and flexible” framework for state aid.

The Financial Times claims that they have seen a letter, sent by ACI Europe to Brussels.

The letter was reportedly also signed by the tourism association the European Travel Commission.

The letter reportedly calls for new action, similar to the help Brussels provided last year when it relaxed state aid rules to allow member countries to offer companies some support to help them through the pandemic, to be offered now.

The Financial Times reports that “among the proposals are the loosening of rules to allow governments to pay direct passenger subsidies to help stimulate demand to reopen routes, airports to be able to recover their fixed costs while travel bans are in place, and the extension of a scheme to allow compensation for revenue losses past this summer.”

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