Brussels, 09/10/2013 (Agence Europe) - On Wednesday 9 October, the European Parliament finally adopted new European rules on flight limit times, despite a negative recommendation by the Parliamentary committee for transport (TRAN). This is a snub to the Greens, who called for the proposal to be rejected. According to committee procedure it should have been either agreed or rejected. It was also a blow to the pilots, who had been lobbying MEPs until the last minute, due to their concerns about the dangers of crew members experiencing fatigue and the subsequent air transport safety implications of this.
According to the European Commissioner for Transport, Siim Kallas, who had to make a robust intervention during the debates when addressing MEPs on the eve of vote, the decision was a “victory for common sense”. He insisted on the fact that the proposal, prepared by the European Aviation Safety Agency, was an improvement on the existing situation. He rejected the resolution supported by the Greens and united left. 387 MEPs voted against, 218 for, with 66 abstentions and they therefore sided with the Commissioner and not the TRAN committee decision of 30 September. On the day before the vote, the spokesmen on transport issues at the EPP, the S&D and the liberals confirmed their preference for these new rules that were not perfect but preferable to the current status quo in national legislation. The Greens were therefore very disappointed with the final vote and Isabelle Durant MEP (Belgium) argued that the Commission had finally obtained Parliament's agreement, “by comparing its draft regulation to the least safe rules and practices in force in the EU and by making worthless promises to everyone that would not really change the substance of the proposal at all”. Her German colleague, Michael Cramer, intervened on this question and highlighted the fact that, “major concerns” had been raised by the pilots' unions and other speakers and regretted the fact that MEPs had ignored these warnings about safety.
Commissioner Kallas, however, regretted the lobbying by the unions and reaffirmed that these European rules were stricter on flight times and would introduce, “better passenger protection and safer working conditions for flight crews”. Night flying times will change from11 hours and 45 minutes to 11 hours; the maximum number of flying hours will be reduced from 1,300 to 1,000 a year and cumulated standby and flight times would be capped to 16 hours. These provisions should also help to guarantee quality rest times while flying. These new rules are expected to be applied over the next two years. (MD/transl.fl)