Air transport systems, Institutional structures, European Union
Abstract
The scope of this article ammounts primarily to a brief review of the E.U. policies in the air transport sector and to an analysis of the effects caused by the implementation of the new regulatory framework, aiming at a chain of assumptions and estimations for the development of the air transport sector in Greece. The basic assumptions and considerations can be summarized by the elements mentioned below: The oncoming competition between carriers will increase the air transport demand in all networks and it is also expected to increase the number of air transport links to generate a reduction of the sceduled flight fares and to contribute to a charter flights services quality upgrading up to the scheduled flight services standards. The Maastricht treaty will produce the increase of the business travel as a result of the persons and capital free circulation policy in the unified European market. The development of tourism in Greece will be limited in respect of the past tendencies. The priority of the direct air transport compared to the others means of transport, is estimated to continue. The introduction of the new technology for land and maritime means of transport is expected in Greece, but our country's geographical fragmentation and the distance between our country and the westeuropean area is leading us to the estimation that the new technology will have minimum effect to the air transport demand. It is expected that the connections between the country's regions, mainly the remote ones, are going to enhance contributing to the domestic network's growth prospects in a mid-iong term prospect, as a result of the end of the monopolistic status of domestic air transport and the possibility deriving from the new regulatory framework to subsidy the low demand air services. Based on the above considerations, a classification of the airport infrastructure is proposed. Also the strategic view of the whole air transport as a system is considered, regarding the planning of the airports infrastructure and the options of the operational parameters of the national air carrier, in order to achieve a consistent and efficient strategy.
