Brussels, 04/09/2013 (Agence Europe) - Airlines are now taking their turn to pile pressure onto the European Parliament, which is currently examining the Commission's proposal on the revision of limits on flying time, on the basis of an earlier proposal by the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA).
The coordinators of the parliamentary committee responsible for transport (TRAN) met on Wednesday 4 September to discuss this proposal, which must be taken or left, as per the comitology procedure. They are expected to draft a resolution which will be put to the vote in the TRAN committee on 16 or 17 September, to set out their recommendations to the plenary, for or against the adoption of this revision of flying time.
The Association of European Airlines took the opportunity to express its wish for the revision to be adopted by the European Parliament before the end of the year. The secretary general of the association, Athar Husain Khan, said that the proposals put forward by the EASA were “based on many scientific studies and involved the national safety regulators and the airlines”. This support from the industry was welcomed by the European Commissioner for Transport, Siim Kallas, via his Twitter account. He is impatient for the Parliament to adopt the Commission's proposals.
Pilots, on the other hand, have repeatedly stressed their misgivings regarding adequate rest time for pilots and their crew, which they feel that the revised rules will not guarantee, thereby jeopardising aviation safety. The European Cockpit Association (ECA) is still fighting for the Parliament to throw the revision out, to force the Commission to improve the text further. (MD/transl.fl)