The ERA board meeting focussed on such issues as the urgent need for rationalisation of Europe’s airspace, avoidance of additional tax burdens on airlines and their passengers, promotion of air transport as a tool to help revive the EU’s economic development and international competitiveness, the need to make passenger compensation and assistance reasonable and proportionate, as the current regulation is unreasonable during periods of major disruption, the important role of air services for communities living in regional locations, Russia and the newly independent States as potential new markets.

The European Regions Airline Association represents some 70 intra-European airlines, which annually carry 70.6m passengers on 1.6m flights to 426 destinations in 61 European countries. ERA main activities include lobbying the European Commission and other European regulatory bodies on policy matters, promoting the social and economic importance of air transport and its environmental commitments. Today, ERA is the largest body representing the interests of regional airlines in Europe.

Video comment by Mike Ambrose, Director General of ERA: 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EKfvZi6kuHo