South Baltic Global Access

Closed

Focussing on the spatial and geographical structure of the South Baltic Region, air transport becomes increasingly crucial to surmount long distances and barriers respectively crossing waters, to improve time sensitive internal and external transport links. Joint improvements of air transport networks are essential to outweigh partial remoteness and increase regional competitiveness for better realisation of the social and economic cohesion within the EU. Studies on regional economics underline the relevancy of regional airports for the regional development and territorial cohesion. Notwithstanding economic contributions and passenger volumes regional airports are not able to cover their operational costs and increasingly are facing new financial, economic, and operational challenges. Due to the limited access to hub airports, lack of regional accessibility, constraints for inbound tourism potentials, stagnation of air traffic volumes, lack of new flight connections as well as cost- and public pressure on regional airports, innovative, cost-efficient strategies and solutions need to be developed.Considering the principles of cross-border co-operation and partnership, under the platform of SOUTH BALTIC GLOBAL ACCESS regional authorities, economic development agencies, regional airports and associated airlines from Rostock, Bornholm, Växjö, Palanga and Szczecin exchange and jointly design feasible response strategies to safeguard and develop sustainable and competitive levels of accessibility by air. Anticipating proposed project methodology SOUTH BALTIC GLOBAL ACCESS foresees following activities to overcome proactively accessibility challenges in the South Baltic Programme Area: - Study groups and joint assessment of South Baltic specific route potentials, hub access and tourism potentials, - best practices exchange and common development of strategies for the application of Public Service Obligations (PSO) and EU-funding, - cross-border working groups on South Baltic destination marketing and airline acquisition strategies, joint lobby initiatives. Summarizing expected results SOUTH BALTIC GLOBAL ACCESS will: - increase South Baltic accessibility and connectivity by air, - increase regional competitiveness, territorial and social cohesion, - enable additional airline routes, hub connections and frequencies, - raise passenger and tourists volumes, - reduce financial burden on airport and airline operators and - improve internal and external perception of the South Baltic Programme Area.

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