The European Commission’s Head of Aviation Policy received a lukewarm reception from some of the delegates at the European Regions Association conference this week.

During his keynote presentation Eddy Liégeois explained the detail of the Commission’s Refuel.EU initiative, which involves a complex process of book and claim with a ‘strong emphasis on SAF at both the level of aircraft manufacturing and operations’,

However, the audience seemed unimpressed with the presentation. In the following questions and answers session, Nadia Giordimania of KM Malta Airlines told Liégeois: “RefuelEU can be summarised in four words: It. does. not. work.”

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Giordimania went on to explain that the policy hits smaller airlines with compliance costs ‘which cost us millions’. “We expect to pay more for SAF, but not extra for compliance costs, even at airports which don’t supply SAF”.

Arguing that the policy hits regional airline competitiveness, Giordimania told the policy maker: “We are unwittingly subsidising airlines that are operating at major airports with these compliance costs”.

“It hits our connectivity. It is the regional routes that are suffering most, and we end up having to look hard at whether we can operate these routes, both technically and financially”, she added.

Ms. Giordimania concluded by offering to send Mr. Liégeois a detailed list of why she believes that the policy disadvantages airlines that offer essential regional connectivity