Regional GATEWAY
Chloe Greenbank
29 April 2025
Regional airports from across Europe have gathered in Dalaman for ACI Europe’s regional airports conference and exhibition (RACE), where they are calling on the EU and European countries to address economic, connectivity and policy challenges impacting the sector.
This year’s event is focused on the emerging challenges for regional airports, including ensuring safe and secure operations, adapting to the upcoming implementation of the Schengen Entry-Exit System (EES) which is expected to come into play later this year, managing traffic seasonality, boosting non-aeronautical revenues, rising operational costs and the ongoing need for state aid and ensuring sustainable growth. Underlining the impact these challenges have on smaller airports, ACI Europe highlights that while passenger traffic at larger regional airports stands at +11.7 per cent above pre-pandemic levels, the focus must be on smaller regional airports where volumes have collapsed and are currently -35.1 per cent below 2019 levels.
Read on: ACI RACE: Regional airports call for EU support | Regional Gateway
