International activity

We participate in what is known as the “Thessaloniki Forum”. This forum was created by initiative of the European Commission in June 2014, and it has the following objectives:

  • To allow exchanging of experiences and best practices among all stakeholders involved in the airport sector.
  • Practical application of the Directive on Airport Charges, with the goal of identifying difficulties for applying its transposition to national legal regulations in the various Member States.
  • Common reflection on the principles used for establishing airport charges in order to share criteria and best practices for estimating costs (particular the cost of capital), as well as traffic estimation models, incentive schemes, and quality indicators.
  • Revision of the Direcive on airport charges.

Once the Forum was created, and by agreement among the participants, it was decided to create two working groups focused on aspects of special interest for most of the participants, including:1 

  1. The procedure for transparency and consultation between the airport manager and representatives from the airlines.
  2. The cost of capital  (WACC).

We participate in both groups and chair the cost of capital group.

1 The following Member States participate in the work groups along with the European Commission: Austria, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, Ireland, France, Sweden, Denmark, and Spain.