In the current context generated by the Covid-19 pandemic, which severely affected civil aviation, at the initiative of the Romanian Airports Association (RAA), on June 11, 2020, a meeting took place in Bucharest between the Minister of Transport Mr. Lucian Bode and the General Managers. of AAR member airports Mr. David Ciceo, General Manager of Avram Iancu Cluj International Airport and President of the A.A.R. proposed on the agenda of the meeting, as the main topic, the lifting of restrictions on flights from Romania and the resumption of air traffic to countries with low epidemiological risk.
“Traffic at airports in Romania has decreased, since the declaration of the state of emergency by almost 95%, which has led to huge financial losses. Given that rail and road traffic have been open since 1 June and that neighbouring countries such as Bulgaria, Hungary or Serbia already allow flights to foreign destinations, we call for lifting restrictions on flights to countries where the number of cases is lifted after 17 June. of coronavirus is declining, such as Germany, Switzerland, Belgium or Austria. We have implemented all measures to limit the spread of Covid-19 and for passenger safety. Airports in Romania operate in a highly competitive market, and if flight restrictions are maintained, we believe that we will have a very large disadvantage compared to airports in neighbouring countries, “said David Ciceo, president of A.A.R. and general manager of Cluj International Airport.
Mr. Lucian Bode agreed with the requests of the Airports Association and took steps to resume air traffic to countries with low epidemiological risk. At the same time, the Minister of Transport stated that he will support the airports to overcome the financial crisis they face and proposed a meeting between the directors of the airports and the Minister of Public Finance, the Minister of Development and the Minister of Labor, next week in Bucharest.
The meeting on Thursday also discussed the development of a state aid scheme for airports, the possibility of introducing airports as eligible entities for obtaining state-guaranteed loans, but also how to apply the Emergency Ordinance for the establishment of active support measures for employees and employers in the context of the epidemiological situation caused by the spread of SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus. Note to editors The Romanian Airports Association (A.A.R.) has 23 members, of which 16 are civil airports and 7 are aviation companies. R.A.A. represents and promotes the interests of airports among national authorities and constantly collaborates with international institutions in the field, having an important role in the development of civil aviation in Romania.
