Federal Chancellor opens 3rd National Aviation Conference
Federal Chancellor Scholz has opened the National Aviation Conference in Hamburg, which is entitled “Flight connects Germany to the world”. In his speech at the opening of the 3rd National Aviation Conference in Hamburg on Monday, Federal Chancellor Scholz said that air travel and air freight were essential for Germany as a high technology location and for the country’s economy. German aviation, he said, was at the forefront of climate-neutral technology.
In his speech to the National Aviation Conference in Hamburg, Federal Chancellor Scholz said that “on the point of climate-friendly technologies, the German aviation industry is already taking the lead.”
Photo: Federal Government/Bergmann
In his speech at the opening of the 3rd National Aviation Conference, the Federal Chancellor said “it is impossible to imagine international aviation without Germany”, adding that there was hardly an aircraft anywhere in the world which did not use parts made in Germany. “One in every six airliners goes through its final assembly in Germany,” he said.
The Federal Chancellor also stressed that government support for the aviation industry during the pandemic had been the right decision. The aviation sector was a part of Germany, he said, adding that “sticking together is worth it, particularly when times are tough.” The Federal Chancellor reiterated his belief that the aviation industry was taking off. “Aviation has come out of the crisis strongly and is in good shape today,” he said.
Modern immigration laws to attract skilled workers
Scholz also spoke about skilled workers in the sector. “Businesses in the aviation industry employ hundreds of thousands of people in well paid and safe jobs,” he said, adding that these require the best skilled workers. However, Scholz also noted that finding these workers and ensuring they had the right qualifications was one of the major challenges. “That’s why we need to make it easier for skilled workers to come to us from other countries,” he said, which was why the new Skilled Workers Immigra tion Act had been adopted. “This is Germany’s most modern piece of immigration legislation ever,” the Federal Chancellor said. “With strong industry, modern small and medium-sized enterprises, and the best skilled workers, we can take off into a new and better age.”
Taking the lead in climate-friendly technologies
At this point, Scholz outlined the changes facing the aviation and industrial sectors as a whole, before describing the overarching goal. “We want to be climate-neutral by 2045 and thereby remain a successful industrial nation,” he said, stressing the responsibility shared by industry and political leaders. “When it comes to climate-friendly technologies, the German aviation industry is already taking the lead,” he said, citing climate-neutral fuels, electric-powered aircraft, hydrogen engines, and efficient turbines for the use of climate-neutral fuels as examples. “We have the proof to show that manufacturing climate-neutral fuels works in Germany,” he added.
Promoting fair competition
Turning to competitors outside Europe, the Federal Chancellor was emphatic that “we will not accept anything which distorts competition, which is why we have been campaigning for rules with which we can identify and prevent carbon leakage at an early stage.”
Federal Minister for Economic Affairs Robert Habeck also used his speech in Hamburg to address the issue of carbon leakage. “We’re facing a leakage challenge. Stopping it requires international agreements. We should negotiate to ensure that what has been agreed on a European level finds broad acceptance,” he said. Under EU rules, airlines are required to increase the quota of climate-friendly fuels, which until now have been expensive. The sector fears being put at a disadvantage to airlines from other parts of the world which are not subject to these requirements.
Accelerating the Pact for Germany
Turning to the subject of good infrastructure, Scholz said that “if hydrogen is going to replace gas, coal and oil here in Germany, we’re going to need a lot of it.” He announced a further expansion of hydrogen distribution infrastructure this year, which involves significant investment contributions and long-term projects.
However, if energy costs are to fall, this is precisely the infrastructure which we will need. “Clean and affordable energy is decisive for us as a place to do business.” Scholz also stressed the need to speed up progress, and called for the need to break up vestigial legislation which prevents swift action. This, he said, was also the goal of the Pact for Germany. In conclusion, the Federal Chancellor reiterated that “the future is very bright for Germany as a home for the aviation industry.”