Brussels, 30/09/2013 (Agence Europe) - Revision of flight times was rejected by the European Parliament transport committee on Monday 30 September. In an atmosphere of jubilation, MEPs passed, by 20 votes to 13, the motion put down by Greens and GUE members calling for rejection of a revision which, in their eyes, did not provide for sufficient rest times for pilots and their crews and, therefore, did not improve air passenger safety. If the plenary session votes in similar fashion, the current rules will remain in place until a new revision proposal drafted by the Commission is accepted by the Parliament, which does not have the powers to amend the proposals - it can merely accept or reject them.
This is another setback in the area of aviation for European Transport Commissioner Siim Kallas who said that this vote “puts at risk key measures to improve aviation safety. This proposal goes a step further bringing together the best safety practices from all EU member states and the latest scientific evidence”. He called for a transparent debate with MEPs, based on the facts and “not on misleading scare stories and false claims” before the plenary session vote, which is likely to take place in October. (MD/transl.fl)