The rapid return of air passenger traffic has “only increased” the risk of delays in Europe this summer following last year’s “chaos”, the European commissioner for transport has warned.
Speaking at the Airlines for Europe (A4E) summit in Brussels on Wednesday, transport commissioner Adina Ioana Valean said: “We are out of the crisis, but we are not out of the woods.”
She told Europe’s airline leaders: “The good news is travel is up and likely to reach 95% of the 2019 level this summer. The bad news is this will only increase the risk of delays as the skies become more crowded.”
More: Airlines demand urgent reform of Europe’s airspace
Valean warned: “We can’t afford a repeat of the chaos of last summer.”
Ahead of her appearance at the summit, airline bosses criticised the European Commission and Valean for failing to push through a reform of European airspace which would reduce delays and cut CO2 emissions by reducing flying times.
However, Valean blamed EU member states for the failure, saying: “I still don’t understand why member states don’t support this reform. If our proposal for reform was taken forward we could save 10% of CO2 emissions.”
She said: “I still hope to see some progress later this year. But in the meantime, we must roll-out technology which helps flight efficiency wherever possible.”
Valean reassured airline chiefs, “I don’t see flight bans and caps as an option” for addressing decarbonisation or delays, arguing: “It would only be a cap on citizen’s rights.”
But the commissioner was less reassuring to the airline bosses on air passenger rights.
The carriers have long campaigned for reform of EU Regulation 261 on air passengers’ rights, arguing its lack of clarity has led to the courts widening its scope while the fixed payments required for delays and compensation often bear no relation to the price of tickets.
Valean insisted: “Ensuring passenger confidence means making sure consumer rights are protected. We already have the strongest consumer protection network, but we are looking to strengthen it further.”
She said: “We share your frustrations that our proposals for reform of Regulation 261 have not moved forward. But I can tell you, any future proposals will not alter the one on the table.”
Valean also argued the Commission had been “doing what we can” to promote recruitment in the sector, saying: “Our agency EASA [EU Aviation Safety Agency] is working on standardised routes for training ground handlers and air traffic controllers to enable staff to move around.”