The organization of European airlines, Airlines for Europe, has again turned to the European Commission, as it did in March at the height of the strike by French air traffic controllers, to mitigate the effects of a possible social conflict.
The organization, which defends the interests of the major airlines active in Europe, including “Rhian Air”, “easyJet”, “Air France”, “Lufthansa” and “British Airways”, wants “compulsory arbitration before the unions of the air traffic controllers threaten to go on strike.” “.
The organization also calls for “21 days’ notice” for such strikes and again insists on “overflight protection” in the country where the social work takes place, as well as “the right to turn to providers of air navigation services” to obtain compensation for the costs of the disruptions, he said in a press release.
In mid-April, the air traffic control body, Eurocontrol, estimated that 30% of flights had been affected in Europe due to the strike of air traffic controllers in France, which means that “more than 10 million” passengers had been affected. , since early March.
Air observers took part in the protests against the reform of the pension system in France, which led to the cancellation of part of the flights departing from or arriving at airports, as well as the reduction in the number of flights able to fly in French airspace.
Around 965,000 people have signed a petition launched on March 20 by Ryanair, Europe’s largest airline by number of passengers, to call on European authorities to protect overflight operations.
“We respect the right to strike, but the cascading effects of flight disruptions between member states are unbearable. The plans of millions of Europeans who want to travel this summer could be affected by strikes,” said Laurent Doncel, chief executive. of Air Europe. in a report.
The International Air Transport Association (IATA) expects a “strong” peak of activity this summer in Europe, with reservations for the period May-September 40% higher than those recorded in 2022, which was the year of the apparent recovery from the pandemic.
The organization also estimated in a press release on Tuesday that “social unrest, particularly in France, is a source of concern”.
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