Airport legislation fitness check attracts 36 submissions as stakeholders divide on slots, ground handling and charges

The European Commission’s 12-week public consultation on the fitness check of EU airport legislation closed on 28 October with 36 submissions. According to the consultation portal, 15 were submitted by companies, six by public authorities, six by EU citizens, three by business associations, and one each by academia, a consumer organisation and an environmental NGO.

The evaluation covers the Slot Regulation, the Groundhandling Directive and the Airport Charges Directive. Its aim is to assess whether the framework remains effective, efficient and coherent with broader EU policy objectives on climate, competition and mobility.

Several contributions reveal tensions between operational stability and environmental priorities. The City of Amsterdam called for stronger health and sustainability criteria in slot allocation, restrictions on night flights, and provisions allowing national coordinators to apply local rules where capacity reductions are necessary. DHL opposed the creation of “green slots,” arguing that emission reductions should be addressed through fuel and technology policy rather than slot rules. It supported keeping the existing 80/20 slot-use ratio and sought recognition of network-level operations for integrators. Groupe ADP urged a revision of the slot system to address under-used capacity, re-balance the new-entrant rule in favour of competitors, and enable local secondary criteria that reflect environmental and community impacts.

On ground handling, DHL advocated full liberalisation of self-handling rights where physical capacity allows, while Groupe ADP called for stronger airport oversight of service levels and the inclusion of decarbonisation criteria in contracts. Neste warned that restricted access to airport fuel infrastructure is limiting the market for sustainable aviation fuel beyond the levels mandated by ReFuelEU and called for guaranteed third-party access to airport storage and hydrant systems.

The Commission will use the findings to inform potential updates to the three legislative instruments once the evaluation phase is complete.

EU new car registrations rise 0.9% YTD, battery-electric share steady at 16.1%

According to data from the European Automobile Manufacturers’ Association (ACEA), EU new car registrations increased by 0.9 % in the first nine months of 2025 compared with the same period last year, marking a third consecutive month of growth. September itself saw a 10 % monthly rise, driven by new model launches. Battery-electric cars held a 16.1 % market share (up from 13.1 % in September 2024 YTD), though still below the trajectory required for deep decarbonisation. Hybrid-electric cars continued to dominate with 34.7 % of registrations, while petrol and diesel vehicles together fell to a 37 % share (from 46.8 % a year earlier).

In total, 1.3 million battery-electric cars were registered in the first nine months of 2025, with Germany (+38.3 %), Belgium (+12.4 %) and the Netherlands (+3.9 %) leading growth; France posted a marginal ­0.2 % decline. Plug-in hybrid registrations also climbed steeply to 722,914 units, representing 9 % of the market, driven by strong growth in Spain (+105.2 %), Germany (+63.9 %) and Italy (+72.6 %). Registrations of new vans fell 8.2 %, new trucks dropped 9.8 % and only buses recorded growth (+3.6 %). Electrically-chargeable vans reached a 10.2 % share (up from 5.7 %), electric trucks 3.8 % and electric buses 22.7 %.

While the data signal continued momentum, analysts caution that the BEV market share remains well below levels implied by 2030/35 decarbonisation goals and that uptake remains constrained by infrastructure and regulatory barriers.

Virgin wins Temple Mills access, ORR rejects Evolyn, Gemini and Trenitalia after capacity test

The UK rail regulator has approved Virgin Trains’ application for access to the Temple Mills International depot in east London, a prerequisite for future open-access services through the Channel Tunnel. The Office of Rail and Road (ORR) said Virgin’s plan was the most financially and operationally robust and offered the highest confidence of delivery. The decision followed competing bids from Evolyn, Gemini and Trenitalia, which were rejected on capacity grounds.

Virgin plans up to 40 daily services linking London with Paris and Brussels, and later Amsterdam, from 2030. It has an exclusive arrangement with Alstom to supply 12 Avelia Stream trainsets and provided letters from prospective lenders and investors. ORR judged the proposal feasible within the spare depot capacity identified by its independent assessment, with a six-month ramp-up to full service. The approval covers light maintenance access only. Virgin must still secure track and station rights, rolling stock approvals, and safety authorisations in the UK and EU.

Eurostar International, which operates Temple Mills, argued it needs the residual capacity to support near-term frequency growth and a new double-deck fleet in the early 2030s, including an £80 million second maintenance shed. ORR accepted Eurostar’s expansion case but placed greater weight on its duties to promote competition and efficient use of existing assets. It concluded there is sufficient capacity to accommodate one credible new entrant or Eurostar’s incremental growth, but not both concurrently.

Evolyn proposed up to 33 daily services to Paris and Brussels using a 12-train, 200-metre fleet. ORR found inconsistencies on train length, limited evidence on maintenance periodicities, and no firm investor commitments. The start date was unspecified and cost forecasts appeared optimistic, with possible omissions for early operating staff. ORR judged the operational plan insufficiently evidenced and the financing picture uncertain.

Gemini proposed 36 daily services to Paris and Brussels, terminating at Stratford International with Ebbsfleet stops. ORR said the concept could unlock regional benefits but raised delivery risks. The plan relies on significant station adaptations at Stratford without a clear funding route. The preferred 202-metre Siemens sets coupled in pairs would exceed the 400-metre road length at Temple Mills, a compatibility point Gemini had not resolved in its submission. Later letters strengthened the rolling-stock narrative and investor backing, yet ORR still saw too many unknowns to allocate scarce depot capacity.

Trenitalia proposed 20 daily London–Paris services using 202-metre Hitachi trainsets in coupled formation, which would also exceed the 400-metre maintenance road length. ORR noted strong corporate backing and reasonable revenue forecasts but the lowest service uplift and limited destination scope. On balance, it offered fewer economic and consumer benefits than rival bids.

ORR stressed that the depot decision does not mandate where trains will call or which routes operators must run. Stakeholders pressed for the return of Kent stops and for Stratford International to be used for international services, but such choices fall to operators through separate track access processes. The regulator encouraged constructive negotiations between Virgin and Eurostar on detailed access terms and noted government work on options to expand light-maintenance capacity for future entrants.

Green groups and rail sector urge Danish Presidency to deliver ambitious Energy Taxation Directive

Eight environmental and transport organisations, including Transport & Environment, the European Environmental Bureau, the Community of European Railway and UNIFE, have called on the Danish Presidency of the Council to raise the level of ambition in the ongoing revision of the Energy Taxation Directive (ETD). In a joint letter addressed to Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen, Economic Affairs Minister Morten Lose and Ambassador Grønbech-Jensen, the groups urge the Presidency to finalise the file before year-end and to eliminate fossil fuel tax exemptions across aviation, shipping and fisheries.

The signatories argue that fossil fuel subsidies worth nearly €47 billion annually undermine the EU’s decarbonisation objectives and distort competition with cleaner modes. Aviation, shipping and fishing together account for most of the lost revenue, while rail already pays full energy taxes. The letter calls the continued exemptions “irrational and irresponsible” in light of the EU’s budgetary needs and the Union’s climate commitments.

The coalition warns that the weakening of the Commission’s 2021 proposal has eroded its environmental integrity. It urges the Presidency to restore ambition by removing fossil fuel incentives, indexing tax rates annually to inflation, and allowing Member States to apply higher rates to discourage polluting fuels. It also supports maintaining minimum mandatory tax levels across the EU to ensure a level playing field.

The letter stresses that revising the ETD is essential for a fair and competitive transition, with taxation reflecting actual environmental impact. “Member States are jeopardising EU mobility by discriminating against one of the greenest transport modes,” the organisations write, referring to the rail sector. They highlight the opportunity for the directive to strengthen investment in zero-emission technologies such as wind-assisted propulsion and electrified rail.

The groups conclude by calling on the Danish Presidency to show “political courage and responsibility” to align Europe’s tax system with the Green Deal. A political discussion on the ETD is expected at the November meeting of the Economic and Financial Affairs Council.