To mark the tenth edition of the Paris Air Forum, the first "Paris Air Forum European Barometer" has been unveiled, carried out by the IFOP Institute on behalf of Groupe ADP, in partnership with La Tribune.
Carried out* in 5 European countries (France, Germany, Italy, Spain and the United Kingdom), where aviation plays a major role in both industry and usage, this survey reveals Europeans' expectations of the air transport sector, particularly with regard to the challenge of decarbonization and its ability to innovate.
The "Paris Air Forum European Barometer" will be repeated at each edition of the Paris Air Forum, in order to inform the debates and proposals arising from this annual event, which each year, on the eve of the Paris Air Show, brings together all the industry's economic players for a day of exchanges.
Key findings of this first barometer:
The British, Spanish and Italians fly far more than the French. However, Europeans do not want to see any coercive measures concerning their personal use of airplanes.
Finally, it is worth noting that the air transport sector is perceived by a large majority of those polled as important for fostering economic growth, particularly in developing countries.
The French fly relatively less than other Europeans:
- 38% of the French never fly, and only 23% fly at least once a year, compared with 40% of Germans and even 56% of the English.
The French express more systematic doubts than other Europeans about the future of air travel:-
- 64% of French people think that the development of air transport will have to be limited by restrictive measures (versus 59% of Germans);
- 59% of French people consider air travel to be the mode of the future, compared with 66% of Germans and over 80% of other nationalities;
- 48% believe that air travel is an essential means of travel, whatever the distance, versus a clear majority in other countries.
However, Europeans do not want any coercive measures concerning their personal use (limiting the number of flights or taxing tickets):
- Only 20% of French people (and 25% of Germans) are in favor of such measures;
- 80% of French people think it would be preferable to develop new technologies to make aircraft less polluting. This proportion is also found among the under-35s: only 25% believe that a maximum number of flights in a lifetime should be taxed or imposed (28% among the under-24s and 22% among the 24/35s)
The sector is perceived as strategic by a majority, but it must actively pursue its efforts, and publicise them, to convince Europeans of its capacity to decarbonise:
- 64% of French people and 56% of Germans think that the sector is strategic and a priority, compared with over 70% in Italy, the UK and Spain.
- 62% of the French believe in the sector's ability to meet the challenges of climate change, compared with 68% of Germans and over 70% of other nationalities.
- Reducing CO2 emissions is the top priority for 56% of the French, as it is for other nationalities. A particular feature among the French, 20% of whom expect a reduction in ticket prices as a priority.
*among a representative population of each country, aged 18 and over, between 7 and 9 June 2023, based on a self-administre questionnaire.
