2017 was a busy year on the traffic rights agenda. Thanks to the huge lobby of BeCA & ECA, and to our symbolic demonstration in April during the FedEx’s press conference, the cargo industry is getting higher in the agenda of some key policy makers. The EU-US Open Skies agreements are again on the European Commission’s table, and the management of traffic rights for non-EU carriers in Belgium is again on the Transport Minister’s table. Does this mean that we can expect systemic changes in 2018? Probably not, but the importance of a fair management of traffic rights is now better understood by these decision-makers.

And there was an emergency! ASLB is trying hard to develop its LH network but cannot afford to compete with state’s subsidiary airlines on its key destinations. The memorandum granted to Ethiopian Cargo is the typical example of what not to repeat. It was signed at a time where some members of the Government were considering the end of TNT Airways. Today, there is a consensus that the development of Belgian airports cannot be done without the parallel development of local “champions”. Otherwise, at the next economic downturn, these airports may be deserted as only the local airlines are sure to stay. Let’s hope that in 2018 the stupid economical war between the airports of Zaventem, Charleroi and Liège won’t be started again, at the expense of Belgian airlines…

On the EU-US Open Skies front, the European Commission (EC) admitted for the first time a problem of reciprocity in the agreements. Unfortunately, the issue is far more complex than just a creative interpretation of the aviation’s freedoms by the EC, allowing FedEx to take one by one the routes of the former TNT Airways european network. Last May, the Members States granted the EC to negotiate an unlimited wet lease agreement with the US. This could seriously complicate the business of European ACMI operators if, for example, the US cargo operators start tomorrow to fly for DHL or Amazon throughout Europe. Let’s hope that in 2018 the inflection at European level in the defense of the EU industry will continue to grow…

Last but not least, the 2018 agenda includes already other challenges for the European aviation cargo industry. The consequences of Brexit and a possible Open Skies agreement with Qatar are two burning issues that will require extreme vigilance for the future. For sure, we’ll see the cargo industry changing fast in the following years!