Brussels, 30/11/2012 (Agence Europe) - Action will be taken in European airports in January to attract the attention of passengers and the political world to the dangers of pilot and crew tiredness. The European Cockpit Association (ECA) and the European Transport Workers' Federation (ETF) are not letting up on the pressure for the rules proposed by the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) on flight limitations to be tightened (see EUROPE 10700).
Action in sight. ECA and ETF believe that the tabled proposals disregard scientific considerations on the dangers of tiredness for aviation safety - to the advantage of financial interests. While the proposals are now in the hands of the Commission - which does not seem inclined to improve them - pilots and unions are preparing to conduct wide-scale action on 22 January. The action of the pilots and crew is due to take place in several large European airports, ECA assures, in order to raise public awareness of the risks that tiredness would have on the safety of air passengers if the new rules come into force in their present state. “I can't say if there will be disruptions or strikes, but many of our members are unhappy and upset by the tabled proposals. All pilots and crew will share their feelings on this”, said the head of ECA, Nico Voorbach, who is himself a pilot. Eight thousand signatures of support have already been collected. In the view of François Ballestero, the ETF political secretary, “no progress has been recorded to reply to the concerns of the crew regarding their safety - this must change”. Both men regret all the more that the proposal does not even allow the member states to preserve the more stringent national systems that are already in place.
Timetable. The Commission is currently proceeding with an interservice consultation of the future rules, with the formal procedure due to begin at the start of next year. According to the comitology procedure, the relevant committee - composed of representatives from the Commission and member states - will meet in February and March 2013. The Parliament will be exclusively authorised - within three months - to back or reject the tabled proposal. However, it will not be able to amend it. It is therefore by next summer that the pilots will definitely know their fate. If the proposal gets through comitology, the member states will still have two years to transpose the new legislation.