EU Commission slams airports for flights chaos

The EU Commission slammed Europe's aviation disruption as unacceptable and urged airports to "get serious" about better planning for bad weather, reported Press Association National Newswire.

Transport Commissioner Siim Kallas said the chaos at airports across Europe "should not happen again".

And he warned that if necessary the commission would bring in laws on "minimum service requirements" – including the provision of proper facilities and equipment – to tackle severe winter conditions.

The commissioner said travel safety could not be compromised, but he was becoming increasingly concerned about contingency planning by national authorities for bad weather.

Kallas is planning meetings with representatives of airports, probably early in January.

He said: "Airports must get serious about planning for this kind of severe weather conditions. We have seen in recent years that snow in Western Europe is not such an exceptional circumstance. Better preparedness, in line with what is done in Northern Europe, is not an optional extra.

"It must be planned for and with the necessary investment, particularly on the side of the airports."

He went on: "We need to ensure that, from infrastructure providers such as airports and rail infrastructure managers, there are appropriate service levels and minimum quality requirements that are followed and delivered.

"If there is need for support from the commission in terms of regulation on minimum service requirements for airports in this area, I am prepared to do that."

The commission first proposed legislation on air passenger rights in 2006, winning approval from EU governments for EU-wide minimum standards on flight delay and cancellation compensation and conditions.

Similar EU-wide passenger rights and conditions for train and coach passengers were introduced more recently.

Now Kallas is signalling that the airport chaos amounts to a failure to deliver on agreed EU passenger rights.

He commented: "I am extremely concerned about the level of disruption to travel across Europe caused by severe snow. It is unacceptable and should not happen again".

The commissioner acknowledged that national authorities were taking their responsibilities for contingency planning "very seriously", and the commission was in constant touch with airlines, airports, rail operators and authorities overseeing passenger rights.

"In recent days I have become increasingly concerned about the problems relating to the infrastructure available to airlines – airports and ground handling – during this severe period of snow. It seems at this stage that this is a weak link in a chain which, under pressure, is contributing to severe disruption."

He added: "What we need for the future is to make sure that there is proportionate responsibility and risk-sharing between all the operators in the supply chain, in particular when it comes to air travel, and this includes also passengers."
(Source:www.cargonewsasia.com)