PORT-NET

1
Assembly of European Regions Conference
EUROPLANE An Example of EU Support for Regional
and Airport Development September 12,
2007 Poznan, Poland
Hartmut Beyer, UNICONSULT Universal Transport
Consulting GmbH, Hamburg
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Introduction of UNICONSULT

• Transport consulting company working on regional
  airport issues
• airport business development, airport
  benchmarking, market potential analyses, airport
  commercialisation and privatisation
• Experiences from previous INTERREG regional
  airport projects
• SEABIRD (EU INTERREG II C)
• SEAPLANE (EU INTERREG III B )
• Responsible for EUROPLANE Project Coordination
• (EU INTERREG III C)Mission at the AER
  Conference
• To present one example that European Commission
  can be of some help for regional airports

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The EUROPLANE Project
INTERREG III C 11 partners plus 12
airports, 03/2006 12/2007 Budget
840,000, thereof 560,000 EU-contr. plus
external support for coordination and air
transport questions
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11 EUROPLANE Partners from 7 EU Countries
Ministry of Economics State of Brandenburg
Province of West-Vlaanderen
Barnim County
Airport Rostock-Laage
Aosta Valley Region
Liguria Region
Giunta Regione Marche
SERA South-East Regional Authority
Marshal Office of the Wielkopolska Voivodship
Kaunas County Govenors Administration
Ljungbyhed Airport
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Backbone EU INTERREG III C Programme

• General Objectives
• Economic and social cohesion among EU regions
• Initiating inter-regional co-operations and
  networks among regional authorities in the EU
• More efficient use of European regional
  development tools and instruments
• Exchange of know-how (best practise)

Improving relations among EU family members
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Approach of EUROPLANE in INTERREG III C

• The EUROPLANE project partners (regional
  authorities) were aware of the relevance of
  regional airports for spatial, socio-economic and
  regional development and had
• pro-actively utilised the INTERREG III C
  programme opportunities
• initiated a joint approach to combine their
  interests as they are responsible for their
  regional airports
• successfully applied for an EU co-financing of
  Euro 560.000(66 of project costs)
• to cover activities and to answer questions which
  are necessary for the development of their
  regional airports

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EUROPLANE Philosophy

• Challenges, market structures, problems but also
  solutions for Regional Air Transport are very
  similar in the EU countries.
• ...why not make use of different know-how and
  existing experiences of EU regions, airports and
  airlines through networking to learn from each
  other (best practice approach)

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EUROPLANE Outputs and Benefits for
Regional Authorities

• Improved access and new contacts to authorities
  of other EU regions for best practice approach
  and better cooperation opportunities (workshops,
  assemblies)
• Relevant analysis and condensed information (5
  regional SWOT Analysis, 2 airport business and
  strategy analyses, 1 regional airports status
  report, etc.)
• Internal promotion of regional airports towards
  local and national institutions (Airport
  Information Day in Poznan)
• Guidelines for EU co-financing opportunities for
  regional airport extension projects (Airport
  Poznan)

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EUROPLANE Benefits and Outputs for
Regional Airports

• Passenger market analysis to set up new flight
  connections(condensed market analysis to
  convince airlines)
• Best practice approach among regional airport
  managers on international level (how to approach
  an LCC ?)
• New ideas on business opportunities for
  sustainable airport existence (set up of logistic
  airparks, destination development to promote
  tourism)
• Guideline for application of EU funds for airport
  reconstruction (Poznan Airport)
• Access to airport analysis, information and
  know-how at no cost

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Output EUROPLANE Resolution
Background Regional airports are important for
regional development, for accessibility, for
polycentric spatial development in the
EU Findings Regional airports may face
opposition of national hub airports, large
(national) network carriers with good access to
national bodies or institutions (political
influence), which sometimes holding stakes in
network airports. Action Call upon the EU
Commission DG TREN to establish policies to
encourage national governments to support the
sustainable development of regional airports
(Resolution)
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Regional Airports Competitive Environment
Lobbying
NationalGovernments
NetworkAirlines
Hub Airports
Lack of Support
Fear of new LCCs (Competition)
Fear of Competition
Regional Airports
Mutual Benefit
Regions (Airport Owners)
Mutual Benefit
Low Cost Carriers
General Policy Support
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EUROPLANE Resolution

• Next steps
• Fine tuning of the contents until end of
  September
• Conclusion of a strategy how to submit the
  resolution towards DG TREN in October
• Submission to DG TREN in November
• Still open towards other European bodies,
  assemblies, institutions which are interested in
  the objective

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Regional Airport Projects in INTERREG
Evolution
EUROBIRD EU INTERREG IV C Exec. 2008-2011
EUROPLANE EU INTERREG III C All of
Europe Execution 2006-2007
SEAPLANE EU INTERREG III B North Sea
Region Execution 2002-2005
SEABIRD EU INTERREG II C Baltic Sea
Region Execution 1998-2001
Time
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Next generation EUROBIRD - INTERREG IV C
E U R O B I R D Project Regions and Airports of
EU 27 Norway and Switzerland
Interregional Co-operation Best Practice
Approach Lisbon Agenda Gothenburg Agenda
Capitalisation incl.Fast Track Projects
Regional Initiative Projects

• Priority 1 Innovation and the knowledge economy
• Airports as a job machine
• Airports as a nucleus for economic regional
  
• development
• Airport as innovation testing ground

• Priority 2 Environment andrisk prevention
• Sustainable airport management (energy, waste
  treatment, de-icing)
• Prevention and control of technological risks

Building on exisitingnetworks and methods
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EUROBIRD Project Some more details

• About 15 regions incl. their airports are
  interested to join project is still open to new
  partner regions and airports
• Project will consist of up to 10-12 regions plus
  their airports,
• Application in November 2007, approval expected
  in spring 2008, project duration about 3 years
• Co-financing of project costs by EU INTERREG IV C
  is between 75 and 85 of project budget ( 2-3
  mEuro )
• Detailed programme information expected at
  INTERREGIII C/ IV C event in Lisbon, September
  20th/21st, 2007

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EUROPLANE Support by EU

• Summary
• General Finding of EUROPLANE EU INTERREG
  Programme acknowledges the relevance of regional
  airports for socio and economic cohesion as well
  as for spatial development in EU
• Indirect EU support exist wherever the new
  INTERREG IV C Programme is actively used by
  regional airports and regions
• INTERREG is very much interested to see active
  participation from regions in EU policy
  (resolution as one instrument)