BUSINESS NEWS and regulation dominated the A4E Summit in Brussels last week. Ian Taylor reports


Airline chiefs demand fresh bid for single European sky


Europe’s airline chiefs have lashed out at national governments over the failure to institute a single European sky for air traffic, accusing them of hypocrisy in demanding carriers cut emissions. Airline bosses have been calling


for years for integrated air traffic management across Europe to replace the patchwork system of national Air Navigation Service Providers. EasyJet chief executive Johan


Lundgren told the Airlines for Europe (A4E) summit in Brussels: “A ‘single European sky’ was first brought up in 1999 yet we’re told this industry is not moving fast enough on decarbonisation. A single European sky could reduce easyJet’s emissions by 15%.” Lufthansa Group chief executive


Carsten Spohr said: “It’s crazy what pilots do to optimise a flight, which has an impact of perhaps 1% a year [on reducing emissions]. “We have a responsibility to cut


that 1%, but a single European sky could mean 15% less CO2.” Ryanair chief executive Michael O’Leary agreed: “Europe’s fractured


O’Leary supports UK proposals on compensation rules


Airlines are demanding the EU revises its rules on compensation for flight delays and cancellations, with Ryanair chief Michael O’Leary pointing to UK proposals as a way forward. However, the European


transport commissioner told airline travelweekly.co.uk Johan Lundgren


airspace has a huge impact – 90% of Ryanair delays in the last 12 months were caused by air traffic delays. We can’t continue to waste fuel. We need European governments to deliver a single European sky.” O’Leary insisted: “We have


support for this in Brussels. The hold-up is caused by national governments [and] a very small group of air traffic control unions. The blockage is not the Commission. The


bosses the commission “will not be diminishing” consumers’ rights in a review of EU Regulation 261 on air passenger rights. Speaking at the A4E Summit,


O’Leary said: “The UK government is looking at changing Regulation 261 to something more sensible.” A UK government consultation


on Aviation Consumer Policy Reform which closed on March 27 proposed tying flight-delay compensation to the price of a ticket for UK domestic flights, with a sliding scale of payments for delays


over an hour rather than a set amount for delays of three hours plus. UK transport secretary Grant Shapps hailed the UK proposals as “making


blockages are national governments – the French, the German, the Irish.” Spohr said: “The unions don’t


want to agree one IT system because it would make them replaceable. [A single European sky] is resisted by governments backed by unions.” He asked: “How can politicians


put pressure on us to be more sustainable and they won’t cut emissions?” Yet he warned: “I’m afraid with the Ukraine war, protecting your own airspace will make this harder.” European transport commissioner


Adina-Ioana Valean told the summit: “A single European sky makes such sense, I don’t understand why transport ministers have not put it in place.” But she added: “Air traffic


management people are reluctant to change. Maybe they don’t understand it. Maybe the authorities are not courageous enough.” A4E called on the next EU


presidency to make a single European sky “a priority”. It’s estimated a single European


sky could treble airspace capacity and reduce aviation’s overall environmental impact by 10%.


Michael O’Leary


Lundgren and Reynaert attack new flight taxes


Belgium introduced a new flight departure tax last week, adding €10 to short-haul flights. The tax, announced just


a week before its April 1 introduction, applies to flights of 500km (310 miles) or less from Brussels airport to encourage passengers to switch to rail. Flights of more than 500km in Europe are taxed at €2 and flights beyond Europe at €4. Airlines for Europe managing


director Thomas Reynaert said: “There is no environmental rationale for the tax. The government needs money and has attacked an easy target.” Also last week, the


Netherlands government proposed trebling its departure tax to €24 from 2023 as part of a pandemic recovery plan. EasyJet chief executive Johan


Lundgren hit out at the increase saying: “It will hurt the less well-off. Wealthier people can afford it. It’s shameful. “We’ll see less people on


flights. It will turn the clock back. I’m really upset about it.”


the most of our Brexit dividend”. O’Leary said: “If Britain makes


some effective reform, it could put pressure on the EC to do something.” EasyJet chief Johan Lundgren


said: “Regulation 261 is so badly written. It’s staggering this has not moved forward. Regulation 261 was drafted in 2009. Things need to get a move on.” However, EU transport


commissioner Adina-Ioana Valean told the summit: “We will not be diminishing consumer rights.”


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