IATA is continuing to discuss the possibility of airline ‘overflying’ French airspace to avoid the disruption caused by ongoing Air Traffic Control strikes.
Willie Walsh, director general of the global airline body, told last week’s World Aviation Festival that the situation remains a source of “huge frustration” for its members.
He said the organising was “beginning to see some light at the end of the tunnel” in the US where the Trump administration is “determined” to address similar issues.
But he said in Europe the “vast majority” of delays are caused by ATC workers downing tools leaving airlines to pick up the tab. Walsh said the situation was “unacceptable”.
“Strikes, particularly in France, continue to impact the whole European network,” he said. “We are still talking to the European Union about the possibility of overflying France.
“It’s an extremely frustrating issue for the industry. It’s still the cause for a lot of delays, a lot od disruption and quite honestly there’s no excuse for it. They really do have to get their act together.”
Walsh complained that there is no pressure on ATC to improve their performance because they are still paid the same amount regardless of the volume or scale of delays.
“If they incur additional costs they just add that to the [airlines’] bill. There’s no pressure on them to improve their performance.
“We pay the bill when ATC does not deliver and flights are cancelled. There’s no appreciation about the fact that that continues to be the case.”
Walsh said since the introduction of denied boarding legislation in Europe in 2004, to airlines’ underperformance, carriers have upped their game.
“Today, when the majority of issues are caused by delays completely outside of the control of airlines, I think it’s disgraceful that airlines pick up the bill when ATC cause the delays.”
Walsh said European legislators need more information to understand the true cause of most denial of boarding incidents, as is increasingly the case in the US.
He said that means when delays happen they are seen as an airline problem not an ATC problem. “That’s just not right,” he added.
“We are not giving this one up,” he warned, “we are continuing to push it. It’s not fair, it’s not right.”
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