I was caught by surprise and deep worry when two months ago the news broke about the two Turkish pilots abducted during their layover in Beirut. I imagine many of you felt the same way. The event revived old fears about airport security and protection of flight crews.

Even though this abduction might be an “isolated incident”, as officials quickly dubbed it, this is still not a consolation for many flight crews working in the region and should not be used to downplay the severity of this incident. It remains unacceptable that Captain Murat Akpınar and First Officer Murat Ağca, were held hostage for 10 weeks, before they could finally be reunited with their families on 19 Oct in Istanbul. I hope they will, together with their families, friends and colleagues, find the time and peace to recover from this horrible event. We all know that post-traumatic stress can only be handled when taken seriously by all involved. This includes the press, the company and the government.

On a different note, October was also significant with two other important milestones: the final vote on the Flight Time Limitations (FTL) proposal by the EU Parliament, and the inaugural press conference of the Ryanair Pilot Group. 

On 9 Oct the European Parliament (EP) decided not to follow the decision of the EP Transport Committee to reject the proposed FTL rules. Together with a group of pilot representatives from ECA Member Associations, we followed the EP Plenary discussions and the vote in Strasbourg. And it was a great disappointment to see how the chance for a scientific-based regulation has been missed by the Parliament. I would like to assure you that ECA and all professional pilots in Europe will do everything in our power to keep on flying safe and awake despite the new regulation. It is up to EASA and the airlines to take pilot fatigue seriously and not allow schedules that endanger the passengers we transport all around the world.

Finally, on 29 Oct, the Ryanair Pilot Group’s Interim Council gathered in Brussels for a press briefing. In a room packed with international press, they explained the employment model of Ryanair and invited the company management to open discussions with the RPG about the issues Ryanair pilots face. Until now Ryanair has always stated that it will not recognise the RPG as a representative body. I am sure this will change – it is just a matter of time!
 

by Nico Voorbach