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Being the starting and ending point of any flight, airports are a vital part of our aviation system. They are a key component of the Single European Sky 
and of the SESAR programme. They are also increasingly important to the European economy. Traffic will continue to grow in the future, as it has done over the past 50 years despite periods of economic downturn and other disruptions. Traffic in Europe will nearly double by 2030. Yet, Europe will not be in a position to meet a large part of this demand because of a shortage of airport capacity. At the same time, quality and efficiency of services at airports must be improved. To ensure its continued success, Europe needs to modernise its aviation model.
Watch this Video on SESAR and air traffic congestion issues.
Airlines , airports, air traffic management , groundhandling and other transport services are inseparably interconnected and need to cooperate in the most optimised manner to continue to perform in terms of mobility, quality and resilience.
Airports themselves should not be considered in isolation but rather as part of a European airport network. A modernised European airport network is essential to the EU's strategy for growth and to ensure connectivity within the EU and beyond as well as for sustainable mobility.
Access to airport infrastructure at a fair price to airlines makes an important contribution to an efficient overall aviation system. An important step was taken in the European Union in 2009 with the adoption of the Airport Charges Directive on common minimum standards for the setting of charges levied on airlines for the usage of the necessary aeronautical infrastructure for operating flights.
Security checks are often perceived as burdensome by passengers, aviation industry and airports. In order to maintain a high quality of service, the Commission is carrying out a broader reflection on how to improve aviation security checks at airports for the benefit of passengers and other stakeholders.
, especially through the use of innovative financial instruments, so as to steer growth, secure cohesion within the EU and enhance its economic, societal and cultural links with the rest of the world.The Community Observatory on Airport Capacity was inaugurated on 4 November 2008.
The Observatory advises the Commission on developing measures to ameliorate the capacity of the European airport network and will play an essential role in the implementation of the Commission's action plan for airport capacity, efficiency and safety in Europe.
Members of the Observatory 
[65 KB]
Terms of reference [74 KB]
Work programme 2008-2013 [10 KB]
Minutes of plenary meetings of 2011 [116 KB] 2010 [22 KB] 2009 [135 KB]
Minutes of the inaugural meeting (04/11/2008) [13 KB]
New observatory to study airport capacity in Europe [IP/08/1629, 04/11/2008] 
