STORY: Potential of China's aviation market "phenomenal", says airports chief at Eurowaga 2023
DATELINE: June 30, 2023
LENGTH: 00:02:09
LOCATION: Madrid
CATEGORY: ECONOMY

SHOTLIST:
1. various of China's plane
2. various of Eurowaga
3. SOUNDBITE 1 (English): OLIVIER JANKOVEC, Director General of ACI EUROPE
4. various of Eurowaga
5. SOUNDBITE 2 (English): OLIVIER JANKOVEC, Director General of ACI EUROPE
6. various of airports in Europe
7. SOUNDBITE 3 (English): OLIVIER JANKOVEC, Director General of ACI EUROPE
8. various of airports in Europe
9. SOUNDBITE 4 (English): OLIVIER JANKOVEC, Director General of ACI EUROPE

STORYLINE:

China's aviation market has "phenomenal" potential for growth, the European head of the Airports Council International (ACI) told Xinhua on Wednesday at the World Annual General Assembly held in Barcelona (Eurowaga) from 26 to 28 June.

With 600 delegates attending, Eurowaga is the world's most important gathering of airport professionals and aviation stakeholders.

SOUNDBITE 1 (English): OLIVIER JANKOVEC, Director General of ACI EUROPE
"China is of course a major global aviation market. We see the propensity to fly in China is still well below where it stands in North America and Europe, so clearly this is going to be a phenomenal growth market."

The director general said that air traffic between China and Europe is gradually returning to pre-pandemic levels.

SOUNDBITE 2 (English): OLIVIER JANKOVEC, Director General of ACI EUROPE
"As European airports, we're very keen to see Chinese airlines in particular restore their connectivity to Europe. At the moment this summer, Chinese airlines are still offering 35% less capacity compared to what they were offering in Europe back in 2019."

Recovering from three years of restricted traffic is a key goal of the European sector, added the executive.

SOUNDBITE 3 (English): OLIVIER JANKOVEC, Director General of ACI EUROPE
"The immediate challenge is restoring our ability to invest, to continue to develop air connectivity, because as you know Europe's airports were quite battered by the pandemic, and we have 50 billion in accumulated loss in revenue over the past three years."

With forecasts of a bumper summer ahead, Spanish airports are leading the process of recovery, he added.

SOUNDBITE 4 (English): OLIVIER JANKOVEC, Director General of ACI EUROPE
"82 percent of people who travel for leisure to Spain travel by air, so that's where the role of airports in Spain is really strategic in terms of the economic situation of the country, its ability to develop jobs and support the overall country."

Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from Madrid.
(XHTV)