AIRLINES QUESTION PILOT UNION OPPOSITION TO SAFETY REGULATION

A demonstration by pilot unions on flight and duty time rules, planned to coincide with the EU Transport Council meeting in Luxembourg on Thursday 16th June, has been described by the Association of European Airlines (AEA) as a misguided attempt to influence safety rulemaking by manipulating passenger anxieties.

In the past, different sets of rules have served Europe well in delivering an exemplary safety record. The European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) has developed a regulatory proposal to unify these rules, effectively giving a cohesive framework of best practice. In developing this proposal, EASA sought the views of all stakeholders, including pilot unions.

Said AEA Secretary General Ulrich Schulte-Strathaus: “The process has been intense and transparent. All stakeholders were given the opportunity to express their views. The safety regulator has done its job – regulating safety, which is the overriding priority for the airlines and their pilots alike.’’

“Apparently the unions are concerned that the EASA draft proposal undermines safety; it does not. No safety regulator would in their right mind do such a thing,” said the AEA Secretary General. “Utmost care has been paid by airlines to maintain a healthy relationship with their pilots without whom, evidently, the business could not function. Far better that the airlines and their employees join forces to address the massive issues which the industry is facing, threatening European competitiveness and consequently jobs and employment conditions.”