Airport expansion: the target is carbon – not air connectivity
ACI EUROPE Director General Olivier Jankovec has called for European aviation policy to reconcile airport capacity growth with decarbonisation, arguing that restricting connectivity is not a substitute for tackling aviation emissions.
In a new op-ed, Jankovec argues that airport capacity decisions must account for air connectivity’s contribution to competitiveness, employment, and territorial cohesion alongside climate objectives. With Europe already facing significant airport capacity constraints, the focus should be on enabling growth whilst accelerating aviation’s transition to net zero.
To achieve this, Jankovec calls on the EU and UK to complement Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) mandates with policies that de-risk investment in production, secure feedstocks and improve access to competitively priced renewable and low-carbon electricity and hydrogen.
He also calls for 100% of EU ETS revenues from aviation to be reinvested in aviation decarbonisation, helping bridge the price gap between SAF and conventional jet fuel and supporting new technologies.
Further priorities include airspace reform, support for fleet renewal and next-generation aircraft technologies, integrating airports’ future energy needs into energy planning, and strengthening global climate action through ICAO and CORSIA.
The objective, Jankovec explains, should be to target carbon emissions while safeguarding the connectivity on which Europe’s competitiveness and cohesion depend.
