Every region (and its airport) counts

Airport Regions Council’s Director General, Sergi Alegre, on the need to future-proof the relationship between an airport and the region it serves.

While regional airports offer numerous benefits in terms of connectivity, employment and revenue to the regions they serve, the need to balance this with minimising their environmental impact (from the carbon footprint and noise pollution to air quality and urban limitations) is a constant challenge.

Founded in 1994 and with its headquarters in Brussels, the Airport Regions Council (ARC) was established to bring together an airport and the region it serves to facilitate their cooperation on all levels, ranging from governance, economy and environment to urban planning and mobility. The association also addresses the need to minimise and compensate the negative impacts of airport activities. Representing more than 70 million people worldwide, its members range from regions that are home to some of the largest airports in Europe, such as Frankfurt, Vienna and Madrid, to small but significant air transport hubs including Oulu, Iasi and Malta.

Finding the balance

Establishing a direct and honest relationship between the local and regional administrations and airport authorities is integral to achieving that balance of ensuring the benefits of an airport are not outweighed by its environmental impact. This in turn has to be supported by a shared common vision and best practice proposals. ARC’s mission is to provide a unified voice to understand, communicate and disseminate the interests of an airport’s region with policy-makers, government leaders and airport stakeholders.

In one of its recent assignments in October 2022 and on behalf of its members, ARC called for urgent approval of the European Commission’s proposal for a “Directive of the European Parliament on ambient air quality and cleaner air for Europe.” In alignment with the World Health Organisation’s recommendations, the directive proposed penalties for failure to achieve reductions or for failure to distribute public information on air quality; and to set more support for local authorities in achieving clean air. These are all vital aspects to reduce the health impact of air pollution by 55% by 2030.

ARC also urged EU institutions to work together to improve the legal framework that will facilitate best practices when it comes to the impact of aviation for all stakeholders. This framework also underlines the need to highlight the action required to protect those living in the vicinity of an airport, with specific provisions for evidence-based metrics.

Supporting sustainable growth

With climate change and the need to decarbonise operations an ongoing concern across the sector, ARC is also working with airports and their regions to explore opportunities around sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) and the requirements of hydrogen and electric powered aircraft. The production and supply of these “green” fuels and alternative power sources presents an opportunity at a regional level. Similarly, as the sector continues to transition to a net zero industry by 2050, regional airports have an integral role to play as testbeds for electric and hybrid flying, which again provides an opportunity for investment within a region.

Alongside the challenge of responding to an airport’s environmental impact and reducing its carbon footprint, the need to understand and respond to the future requirements of air travel and urban air mobility (UAM) is also of increasing interest for airports and their regions. In line with this, ARC is engaged with several projects focused on UAM, including hOListic Green Airports (OLGA), Propelling European Leadership through Synergizing Aviation Research (PULSAR), Sbas Adoption in Multicopter Vtol Aircrafts (SAMVA) and Integrated Passenger-Centric Planning Networks (MultiModX), to better understand what this sector looks like and the implications for an airport and its  region. It also collaborates closely with various members of the European Parliament and industry trade bodies, such as Airports Council International (ACI), the International Air Transport Association (IATA), European Regions Airline Association (ERAA), European Business Aviation Association (EBAA), the Committee of the Regions, European Passengers Federation and European Transport Workers’ Federation.

As catalysts of growth and enablers of connectivity, regional hubs are essential engines of economic and social welfare for the territories they serve. Their demise would have a significant and detrimental impact on those living locally. Airports and their regions must continue to enjoy a symbiotic relationship that benefits all concerned. Sustainable growth is the key to the future success of that relationship.

Sergi Alegre

Before being involved in the airport sector Sergi Alegre was deputy mayor of the city of El Prat in Spain, where the Airport of Barcelona is situated. He became President of ARC in 2011 and was made Director General in 2018. His current role sees Alegre regularly participating as a speaker at conferences and events on EU-funded projects for leading programs focused on the aviation and specifically airport sectors. He also contributes to various publications and is a member of the Advisory Board of four EU-funded projects and of the Aeroports de Paris (ADP) Groupe, as well as the Cepsa Foundation.