The European Commission's Airport Package

Congestion is the main problem in European aviation today. Whereas plenty of regulatory and financial effort has been devoted to airspace congestion, the capacity crunch at airports has only recently taken its rightful place in the regulatory spotlights. The European Commission's Airport Package is the most recent example of European aviation regulation's continuously expanding scope. This article discusses all three parts of the Airport Package: the Communication on airport capacity, efficiency and safety in Europe, the proposal for a Directive on airport charges and the report on the implementation of the Ground Handling Directive. Since the Package for a large part announces future regulation, the current state of affairs in the regulatory proceedings is included in this overview.