The European Aviation Conference 2015

At Cranfield University next month, business executives, policymakers and researchers gather to discuss some key issues facing European aviation, with the goal of the seeking out practical solutions to challenges facing the aviation industry.  The 2015 Theme The focus this year is on a seeming slowdown in airline liberalisation; is this actually happening and if so why? What would be the consequences? What would be required to relaunch airline liberalisation? Each conference sessions is devoted to one aspect of the issue, including: What are the economic and political lessons of past liberalisation? What is the core requirement for a level playing field in aviation? How do competition policy and airline ownership relate to the liberalisation process? Debate: Do Gulf Carriers distort the level playing field? What is the future of airline liberalisation?  The Speakers Speakers this year include many from the aviation industry, including: Turkish Airlines CEO, Temel Kotil IATA Chief Economist, Brian Pearce Birmingham Airport CEO Paul Kehoe as well as speakers from KLM, Air France, Lufthansa, the German airline pilots association, and the European Commission. along with aviation researchers, including: Frankie O’Connell (Cranfield),  Martin Dresner (Maryland)  Peter Forsyth (Monash) William G Morrison (Wilfried Laurier University) and industry consultants including Mike Tretheway (InterVISTAS) and Dan Elliot (Frontier Economics). Two of the conference speakes, Jaap de Wit of Aviation Economics and Professor Bill Morrison, Wilfried Laurier University said:  “Airlines like Delta, United, Air France and Lufthansa would like to be able to pick and choose between ‘open skies’ agreements; picking only those agreements that benefit them. Open skies agreements with the UAE have not benefited these airlines and so, not surprisingly, they would like to scrap them. This is just plain old protectionism.” “The big three US airlines (Delta, United and American) and some European airlines (Air France, KLM and Lufthansa) have their own unique version of a ‘level playing field’; it is a playing field on which they are winning. If they find themselves on a playing field on which they are losing, they argue that it cannot be the quality of the opposition or their own lack of competitive advantage it must be that the field is unlevel!” Awards to be made at the Conference To stimulate continued research into applied policy questions in aviation, the winners of the 2015 European Aviation Economics and Management Prizes will be announced at the conference. These prizes are sponsored by Ashgate Publishers and GARS (the German Aviation Research Society). Prize winners will each receive Ashgate books of their choice and a cash award.