Jaarconferentie Airneth
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Ladies and gentlemen,
About three weeks ago, I was in Brussels for my first European Transport Council since I took office. And it was an important one, because we decided to sign a joint Open Skies agreement with the US.
At the time, I said this was good news. And it is. It’s good news for Europe, because it’s another step towards unity. It’s good news for consumers, because the agreement will make competition in air travel more transparent. And it’s good news for the Netherlands, because it improves our international ‘connectivity’. The importance of connectivity for an open, internationally oriented economy like ours can hardly be overestimated. This agreement will increase the number of flights to and from the US, reduce prices and stimulate transatlantic cooperation among airlines. And you know as well as I do how profitable the partnership between KLM and Northwest Airlines has been in recent years, for them and for Schiphol Airport.
I begin with this example, ladies and gentlemen, because it shows how important a role a scientific network like Airneth can play. Because all those positive developments I mentioned have to be kept on the right track. This government too wants the air traffic sector to grow, as long as safety, quality of life and the environment don’t suffer. And if we don’t manage to innovate, we are bound to come up against the limits of what is socially desirable and acceptable. Or to use the terms of this conference: we will soon reach the point where free airport capacity is not scarce, but nonexistent.
Airneth does good work in bringing research and educational institutions, businesses and government together to examine fundamental questions about the future. You are not only doing this today at your Annual Conference; you do it 365 days a year. This is in line with the approach this government supports: working together for the Netherlands.
Sustainability is a key concept for this government. What I want is for growth in air traffic to go hand in hand with better environmental results and more noise reduction, so that there are lasting improvements on all fronts. That is easy to say, of course, but a hard nut to crack. Achieving it will require advanced knowledge, the courage to think creatively and a comprehensive approach that takes account of all the interests at stake. And you play a big role in this.
Right now in the Netherlands, central government, the regional authorities and the industry are discussing intensively the optimal use of scarce airport capacity in the short term. But we need to do more to safeguard the future. So I will soon announce a strategic agenda for Schiphol, which is also meant to launch a discussion about the long term. It goes without saying that you are invited to keep thinking and talking with us. I hope above all that you will continue providing us with creative ideas.
I expect the concept of ‘selectivity’ will play a major role in this discussion. The way society looks at Schiphol makes this self-evident. Being selective about the kind of air traffic you want and where and when you want it kills tree birds with one stone. It enhances the quality of the mainport, it reinforces Schiphol’s macroeconomic function as a magnet for business, and it limits the nuisance for Schiphol’s neighbours. That’s what I mean by a comprehensive approach.
The discussion on Schiphol’s future will certainly also be important to the development of the Emergency Programme for the Randstad, the western conurbation in the Netherlands. As you may know, the new government is working on a coherent spatial and economic plan for the whole Rotterdam-Utrecht-Amsterdam triangle. I am responsible for coordinating it. And however I look at it, Schiphol occupies a central position. Almost everything we do at and around Schiphol has immediate spatial and economic consequences. So you cannot view Schiphol separately from the rest of the Randstad, and vice versa.
Ladies and gentlemen,
My message to you today is both complex and simple. We face the complicated challenge of both making air traffic grow and making it sustainable. That’s extremely complex. But what’s clear as day for me is that I cannot do it without you. That’s the simple bit.
Let me put it this way. In the stage play of aviation, the public expects the government to be a good director. But a successful director depends on actors who take their roles seriously and play their parts creatively. That’s the only way to ensure a great performance. Airneth is one of our actors, and I hope that together we can set our sights on an Oscar.
Ladies and gentlemen, my schedule these days is one big exercise in the optimal use of scarce ministerial time. So, sadly, I have to leave soon. But I hope you will let me know about the results of this conference. And I wish you two interesting and instructive days.
Thank you.