John Burke re-elected to lead Europe's airports

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ACI Europe votes to retain the Aer Rianta board advisor's services as president for a second year

John Burke was unanimously re-elected president of ACI Europe until June 2005 at the 14th ACI Europe annual assembly in Nice this week. Burke, advisor to the board of Irish airports group Aer Rianta, has been a member of the ACI Europe board since 1998, and has been president for the past twelve months.

Burke said: "On a daily basis, airports across Europe strive to meet new operational, security, safety and economic challenges. Airport operators must also make long-term investment decisions regarding the provision of facilities to meet the needs of the communities that they serve. With the demand for air travel in Europe set to double by 2020, we must ensure that policy makers allow Europe's airports to grow in a sustainable manner. We must not face the prospect of finally tackling the challenge of the Single European Sky, only for it to be replaced with delays due to lack of capacity on the ground."

He continued: "European airports of all sizes play a key role in creating employment and stimulating regional and national development. They are vital to the further integration and prosperity of Europe Ð providing a unique network linking people, countries and cultures. As an industry, we must work together towards developing the political climate that will better recognise the contributions of aviation to our daily lives."