STRASBOURG, France: July 10, 2018. Speaking at this year’s intergovernmental European Civil Aviation Conference, IATA director general and CEO Alexandre de Juniac warned 160 million passengers, and the respective volume of freight, would not be able to fly in 2040 because there won’t be enough airports in Europe to cope with the demand.

Calling for more investment in airports and air traffic management, de Juniac said it made no sense that some single runway airports can get 30 or more movements an hour, while others declare much less “for no apparent reason”.

Noting the recent decision to construct Heathrow’s third runway, he said IATA is not convinced the proposal will meet with a British government requirement for no increase in costs.

“I will add a note of caution on the current trend of airport privatization, which is particularly prevalent in Europe. Our members are frustrated because privatization leads to higher costs without measurable operational efficiencies,” he continued.

IATA has passed a resolution encouraging governments to consult with industry and examine all available alternatives before deciding on a privatization programme. “And this is exactly what we are asking with respect to the proposed privatization of Group ADP. Quite frankly the possibility to lock-in a 70-year concession makes no sense for an industry as dynamic as aviation.”

De Juniac concluded by calling on the EU and Britain to move faster to find a post-Brexit resolution because “all businesses do better with greater degrees of certainty” in an era of rising protectionism and a retreat from globalization.

In an aviation industry that supports nearly 12 million European jobs, transports 880 million European travelers and drives over €700 billion of European economic activity, this week Airbus officially re-designated the Bombardier C Series 100 and 300 aircraft the Airbus A220-100 and A220-300 (pictured) as JetBlue became its first customer after signing an MoU for 60 firm orders for the A220-300.