Brussels, 22/10/2014 (Agence Europe) - The CEO of Lufthansa, Carsten Spohr, is none too mild as regards the management of the sky at European level. The former pilot wants the European Commission to tend to the competitiveness of the air industry. For this reason, he maintains the need to restructure his company despite the climate of strikes (interview conducted by Marie-Pauline Desset at the Aviation Leadership Summit in Istanbul on 17 October).
Agence Europe: Should the European Commission be stricter with the member states on catching up on the delays to establishing the Single Sky and especially the functional airspace blocks?
Carsten Spohr (CS): It is a shame how we deal with our sky in Europe. I wish to see more progress on this, including from the German side - not only for economic reasons, but also for ecological reasons. We have Schengen on the ground, but we have airspace blocks in the air. Every pilot who has an iPhone can fly straight from and to any airport in Europe nowadays. Surely my Airbus and Boeing planes can do it but are not allowed to do so because of up to double digits detours in the European sky. I definitely think that the Commission should put more pressure on the governments in Europe. We should also team up with the ecological movement, which is not always our friend on other issues, to do so. Because this is not only an issue about money for our passengers, or our shareholders, it is even more an issue for our carbon footprint. We sometimes do micromanagement on aircraft engines to reduce the carbon footprint by a tenth of a percent and here there is more than 10% of our fuel being burned without any reasons, in detours!
You would like a strong European Commission on this issue, but would you like it more discreet on other legislation?
Less regulation indeed. I think that consumer rights is probably something where a lot of effort has been put in. I don't see more need for regulation there, and it's the same when it comes to slots for take off and landing. I would rather see the energy going to those areas where Europe is in disadvantage compared to other economic powers in the world.
Is it too late for the air industry to recover its competitiveness at global level?
It is five minutes to midnight! But the European Commission has to understand how vital this industry is for the public and for the European economy. I believe there needs to be a new approach to European aviation. We need this European industry not just to survive but to flourish to make sure that the European economic power in the world is not further put aside. There are probably few industries that have such a high multiplier effect.
A wave of strikes among your employees this year has criticised Lufthansa's reforms. Why such plans for savings? (Ed: German pilots downed tools at the beginning of the week)
We have to find a balance between short-term problems for our customers, our operation, even our image, with long term sustainability of our cost structure. It is necessary to do this restructuring. If you look at Iberia or British Airways, there have been similar models in our industry. As much as I regret it, there is no room for wrong compromise. The solution eventually has to be found at the negotiating table not on striking.