EPP Group

1
Importance of Regional Airports within the Lisbon
Strategy

• Gordon C. Keymer

2
Low cost airlines and territorial development

• The importance of identifying regional airports
  and regional air services as an essential tool to
  help regional and local authorities promote
  delivery of territorial cohesion and development
• The contribution that the development of regional
  airports and regional air services make to wider
  employment creation, regeneration, social
  inclusion and regional and local economic
  development programmes
• The significant role that low cost air services
  can play in supporting the sustainable economic
  development of small and medium sized regional
  airports.

3
Regional airports enable faster and easier access
to a region

• Air services provide point-to-point connections
  between regions
• Links from the region to international hubs
• Air services enable citizens in island
  communities, regions in Central and Eastern
  Europe and countries on periphery of EU to
  participate more fully in Europe
• Return trip in less than a day

4
Development of regional airports and air services

• Part of overall transport system in EU
• In accordance with principles of sustainable
  development

5
Regional airports

• Surplus capacity to be used for inter-regional
  air services
• Relieve pressure on hub airports
• Important role in Trans-Europe Transport Networks
• Balance between inter-regional and region-to-hub
  air services
• Access to airways under Open Skies
• Planning frameworks vital for long-term
  investment

6
Regional airports and economic competitiveness

• Improved access to global economy
• Lower labour costs and facilities encourage
  investment
• Improved access allows existing businesses to
  increase market share

7
Economic impact of regional air services
operating out of regional airports

• DIRECT IMPACT. Employment related to operation
  of airports
• INDIRECT IMPACT. Employment generated in local
  area of airports
• INDUCED IMPACT. Employment generated by spending
  of direct and indirect employees
• CATALYTIC IMPACT. Income generated by wider
  roles of airports

8
Economic benefits of Regional Airports and air
services

• 950 on-site jobs per million passenger per year
• For every 1,000 on-site jobs
• 2,100 indirect/induced jobs supported nationally
• 1,100 jobs regionally
• 500 jobs sub-regionally
• Jobs in aviation industry produce 2 ½ times more
  value added per head than average across all
  industries

9
On-site companies at Nice Airport spend

• 388 million on supplies of goods and services of
  which.
• 166 million within Alpes-Maritime region
• 17.3 million contributed to local economy in
  tax revenues

10
Ryanair services from Prestwick Airport

• 280,000 nights spent by inbound passengers in
  local region
• 2.4 million nights in Scotland
• 130 million injected into Scottish economy
• Supports 600 jobs in local region and 1,300 to
  1,800 jobs across Scotland

11
Development and Retention of Skilled labour

• Additional employment and training opportunities
• Engineering and support services based at
  regional increases requirement for well-trained
  engineers
• Increased wealth creation
• Reduced need for welfare support

12
Regional Airports and tourism

• Regional airports and air services diversify,
  de-seasonalise and boost tourism products which.
• Improve quality of tourism product which.
• Improve attractiveness of region for tourists

13
SUMMARY

• Development of regional airports is a catalyst
  for regional economic development
• Development of regional air services network
  raises economic competitiveness of the regions
  and EU
• Regional airports and air services are a European
  success story.