Brussels, 02/10/2012 (Agence Europe) - Low-cost airlines have joined pilots and cabin crew union members in their criticism of new rules on flight time limits, as proposed on Monday 1 October by the European Aviation Safety Association (EASA). Low-cost airlines are calling on the European Parliament to throw out these proposals.
The European Low Fares Airline Association (ELFAA), of which companies such as Ryanair and EasyJet are members, are rejecting all the new limits proposed by EASA because they think that current legislation in force is perfectly adequate. ELFAA considers that the amendments to this legislation alter it in a non-scientific way, despite the fact that it is stable and safe, as borne out by experience and testified to by the pilots and authorities applying it.
Low-cost airlines are counting on the Parliament to block these amendments. Legislative procedures will follow committee-meeting rules. The Commission will now be able to amend EASA proposals but the Parliament will not, in turn, be able to introduce any amendments to it. MEPs will just have to accept or reject the new flight time limits. Low-cost airlines are urging MEPs to defend proven European safety rules against ill-informed attempts to undermine the stable and safe flight time limits. They made this announcement in a press briefing on Tuesday 2 October. (MD/trans/fl).