Brussels, 26/08/2005 (Agence Europe) - On 30 August, MEP Christine de Veyrac will be unveiling her report to the European Parliament's Transport Committee on the European Commission's draft regulation on air security, foreseeing providing air passengers with information about the actual airline carrying them and providing security information from EU Member States (see EUROPE 9012 for European Commissioner Jacques Barrot's comments, hoping the regulation can be put into force from the start of 2006 at the latest).
A press release explains that the UMP MEP is calling for the establishment at European level of a single blacklist of failing airlines (the UK currently has a blacklist and France wants to create one in the next few weeks (see EUROPE 9013), and automatic bans on flights by blacklisted companies in European airspace. The MEP points out that Turkish airline Onur Air was recently given authorisation to fly from Charleroi Airport in Belgium, despite having authorisation refused by France and the Netherlands. She wants common criteria to be established for all 25 EU Member States for compiling the blacklist, and wants ticker sellers to be obliged to inform passengers about the identity of the potential carrier when they reserve, and the actual carrier once identified, using modern communications (e-mail, SMS, etc). De Veyrac points out that this would require new rights for passengers, such as to cancel their ticket and be refunded if the initial carrier is put on a blacklist after the date of reservation or if replaced by an airline on the blacklist. The report also foresees the principle of Member States being able to decide on penalties in the event this information is not provided.
In her press release, Christine de Veyrac said that the measures should be adopted by the end of the year, given the recent series of plane crashes, particularly the one on 16 August, killing citizens of Martinique, France and Europe. The first Transport Council after the summer break is scheduled for 6-7 October (on the most recent Council deliberations and Jacques Barrot's comments, see EUROPE 8934).