Introduction
Aware of the importance of the aviation industry in rejuvenating
the European Union's (EU) economy, the European Commission (the
Commission) published last December the first Aviation Strategy for
Europe. The aviation industry has been a priority for the
Commission since the liberalisation of the internal aviation market
in the 1990s. However, this is the first time that the Commission
is taking a comprehensive approach to this industry. Please see the
timeline.
The Aviation Strategy for Europe is an ambitious plan which sets
out and addresses the challenges faced by the aviation industry as
a key driver of the European economy. The European aviation
industry today accounts for 26% of the world market with 42% of all
flights worldwide either landing or taking off in the EU. What
remains to be seen is how the European aviation industry emerges
from the Brexit negotiations, given that UK passengers account for
around 33% of intra-EU aviation, and that
