Georgia Supports Eurocontrol Initiative to Postpone Air Traffic Control Fees
Georgia supports the initiative of European Organisation for the Safety of Air Navigation - (EUROCONTROL), which contains postponing air traffic control fees taxes for airlines.
The EUROCONTROL Member States have already agreed on a financial package enabling airlines to defer the payment of up to €1.1 billion of air traffic control fees due for payment to Europe’s air traffic management industry in the coming months.
"As a result of COVID-19, the number of flights operating daily in European airspace has declined by 90%. This dramatic reduction in operations is likely to continue for a number of weeks to come and therefore the airline industry had sought the support of EUROCONTROL Member States to help it deal with its sudden and significant cash flow crisis.", is written on the website of Eurocontrol.
According to the information provided by Georgian Civil Aviation Agency, the decision was also supported by Levan Karanadze, the deputy director of Georgian Civil Aviation Agency, which is also vice president of Eurocontrol council.
According to the initiative, the air traffic control fees are postponed with the following scheme: The deadline for February 2020 is determined in November 2020. The finishing date of fees for March 2020 are defined in February of 2021. Fees of April of the current year are postponed in May of 2021 and the fees of May rescheduled in August of 2021.
“I am really delighted that our Member States have approved this essential measure. It will provide much needed liquidity support. Many airlines contacted EUROCONTROL to confirm that they would not be in a position to facilitate their next payments. With traffic down 90%, our Member States have clearly recognised the shared challenge. This payment deferral will ease the immediate burden on airlines and it provides certainty on financial planning to both airlines and the air navigation service providers (ANSPs) on when payments will be made after the crisis has abated.
It is important to acknowledge the overwhelming support provided by our Member States for this measure, along with their air navigation service providers, as it provides vital assistance to the airline industry in their hour of need.”, stated Director General of EUROCONTROL