UNICONSULT Universal Transport Consulting, September 2007 1 Hartmut Beyer, UNICONSULT Universal Transport Consulting GmbH, Hamburg EUROPLANE – An Example

UNICONSULT Universal Transport Consulting, September 2007 1

Hartmut Beyer, UNICONSULT Universal Transport Consulting GmbH,

Hamburg

EUROPLANE – An Example of EU Support for Regional and Airport Development

September 12, 2007

Poznan, Poland

Assembly of European Regions Conference


• 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“

Introduction of UNICONSULT


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

Ministry of Economics State of Brandenburg (Potsdam)

Airport Rostock-Laage (Weitendorf)

Barnim County (Eberswalde)

Marshal Office of the Wielkopolska Voivodship (Poznan)

Sera South-East Regional Authority (Clonmel, co. Tipperary)

Liguria Region (Genova)

Marche Region (Ancona)

Aosta Valley Region

Province of West-Vlaanderen (Sint-Andries (Brugge))

Kaunas County Governor´s Administration (Kaunas)

Ljungbyheds Airport (Ljungbyhed))


Ministry of Economics State of Brandenburg

Province of West-Vlaanderen

Airport Rostock-Laage

Barnim County

Giunta Regione Marche

Liguria Region

Marshal Office of the Wielkopolska Voivodship

Aosta Valley Region

SERA South-East Regional Authority

Kaunas County Govenor’s Administration

Ljungbyhed Airport

11 EUROPLANE Partners from 7 EU Countries


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)

Backbone: EU INTERREG III C Programme

Improving relations among “EU family members”


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

Approach of EUROPLANE in INTERREG III C


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)

EUROPLANE Philosophy


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)


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


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)


Regional Airports

Regional Airports: Competitive Environment

NationalGovernments

Hub Airports

NetworkAirlines

Low Cost CarriersMutual Benefit

Fear o

f C

om

petitio

n

Lack of Support

Fear o

f new

LCCs

(Com

petiti

on)

Regions (Airport Owners)

General Policy Support

Mutual Benefit

Lobbying


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

EUROPLANE Resolution


SEAPLANE

EU INTERREG III BNorth Sea Region

Execution 2002-2005

Regional Airport Projects in INTERREG

SEABIRD

EU INTERREG II CBaltic Sea Region

Execution 1998-2001

EUROPLANE

EU INTERREG III CAll of Europe

Execution 2006-2007

Time

Evolution

EUROBIRD

EU INTERREG IV CExec. 2008-2011


Next generation: EUROBIRD - INTERREG IV C

Interregional Co-operation | Best Practice Approach| Lisbon Agenda | Gothenburg Agenda

E U R O B I R D ProjectRegions and Airports of EU 27 + Norway and Switzerland

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

Capitalisation incl.Fast Track Projects

Regional Initiative Projects

Building on exisitingnetworks and methods


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


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)

Documents

UNICONSULT Universal Transport Consulting, September 2007 1 Hartmut Beyer, UNICONSULT Universal Transport Consulting GmbH, Hamburg EUROPLANE – An Example