The Airports Council International Europe (ACI) has urged the European Commission to promptly assure that airports can take advantage of €672.5 billion EU Recovery and Resilience Facility (RRF) to fund their sustainability and digitalization projects.

In a press release published on March 16, ACI Europe explains that airport investment following RRF must conform with the 2014 Aviation State aid Guidelines. These guidelines prohibit all aids to medium and larger-sized airports. Small airports have even more strict limits, so most of the EU airports will not be able to obtain the finances from RRF.

The Council insists that these restrictions are “at odds with the objectives of the EU Green Deal and Commission’s own agenda for the greening of airports – as set out by the Sustainable and Smart Mobility Strategy adopted last December,” in a letter sent to the European Commission’s Director-General for Competition.

According to ACI, the letter encourages the Commission to modify the State Aid Guidelines in order to enable sustainable projects’ funding, explicitly aiming the decarbonization projects.

Through the same press release, the Council notes that the European airport sector is fully compatible with the climate goal of the European Union, after announcing in 2019 their commitment to achieving Net Zero for dioxide carbon emissions by 2050, StudyinPoland.Info reports.

Around 170 airports all over Europe are focused on reducing the carbon footprint under Airport Carbon Accreditation. Furthermore, 52 airports already are carbon neutral.

For Net Zero to have further progress, it is required continuous investment by bringing the total to €25.9 billion only for the decarbonization of terminals at 50 airports in Europe.  Although airports could make such investments themselves if the Coronavirus pandemic did not get in their way, the COVID-19 situation has limited the financial support granted to airports by the European governments.

Olivier Jankovec, the Director-General of ACI Europe, said that if there is no access to RRF financing, there cannot be a way to know if decarbonization must be the course of action.

“Airports are in a survival mode, with negative cash flow, daily operations financed through debt, and a weak revenue outlook once travel can restart. All this means many airports will simply not be able to consider investments in the coming years. What we are facing is an unprecedented airport investment crunch,” Director-General Jankovec added.

ACI EUROPE has also encouraged the EU States to make sure that sustainability and digitalization projects of airports should be considered for the national recovery and strengthening plans.

Earlier in March, ACI Europe expressed its concern regarding the loss of billion passengers all over Europe and reassured that it is crucial to help airports reach sustainable development and a net-zero Commission by 2050.