IFATCA med Action Day den 10. oktober

 

Airlines Ask European Governments to Block Air-Controllers Strike

Trade Associations Say Strike Will Cost Carriers About $190 Million

Chiefs of the main global and European airline trade groups demanded Thursday that European transportation ministers head off a planned strike next week by air-traffic controllers. The two associations estimate a strike would cost carriers roughly €140 million ($190.7 million) and cut roughly twice that amount from the broader European Union economy.

In a hopeful sign for passengers, union representatives in several countries said they might call off their action after EU officials agreed to meet them next week, a French union representative said Thursday.

Last month, the umbrella organization for the European air-traffic controllers' labor unions announced an "action day" for Oct. 10 to protest the EU's plan to eliminate national borders in its skies and boost efficiency.

The 28-country bloc is broken into a patchwork of airspace blocks that EU officials estimate add roughly €5 billion annually to the cost of European air travel because of convoluted routings and delays.