19 NOVEMBER 2018

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Article from BTNews 19 NOVEMBER 2018

IATA's de Juniac on the attack

IATA chief executive Alexandre de Juniac went on the attack last week over “burdensome regulations” that he said were besetting European aviation. A “spirit of change” was needed to improve the competitiveness of European airlines, he added.

In a keynote speech at IATA’s Wings of Change Madrid conference, de Juniac singled out the Airport Charges Directive and the EU 261 passenger rights legislation as examples of “regulatory overreach” stifling growth in European air travel.

For the former, which charges airlines to use airport facilities, de Juniac said the initiative had “not kept airport charges competitive,” and noted that passenger charges had doubled as a proportion of the ticket price.

As for EU 261, which requires airlines to compensate passengers for delays, cancellations and involuntary denied boardings, de Juniac labelled the rule a “mess for airlines and passengers” and a “bonanza for claims agencies and their dubious practices.”

He also criticised the European Court of Justice for issuing “intolerable interpretations” of EU 261 which “do nothing to help passengers,” and said the only solution to the regulatory headache was a “wholesale reform” of the rule.

(See also Chase new markets, airlines told in this issue)

www.iata.org/events/Pages/wings-europe.aspx

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