Airline pilots, crew and safety experts are raising concerns about flight routes in the Middle East as political tensions rise – and many claim they are being ignored, according to a report.
Unions representing airline pilots and crew in Europe have sent letters to major air carriers and agencies – including Wizz Air, Ryanair, airBaltic, the European Commission and the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) – alarming some of their mid- The flying conditions have been condemned. According to the former route, one Reuters report,
“No one should be forced to work in such a dangerous environment and no commercial interest should outweigh the safety and well-being of those on board,” it said in a letter addressed to EASA and the European Commission on 26 August. Needed.”
Other letters called for pilots to have the ability to refuse to fly a dangerous route and for airlines to be more transparent about their Middle East routes.
But airlines said their flight routes meet industrywide safety standards, and allowing pilots to refuse to fly would create chaos.
Some airlines such as Lufthansa and KLM no longer fly over Iran. But according to data from FlightRadar24, flights from several air carriers, including Etihad, flydubai, Aeroflot and Wizz Air, were flying through the country as recently as December 2.
Lufthansa and KLM also allow crew members to opt out of routes they feel are not safe, but carriers such as airBaltic, Wizz Air and Ryanair do not allow crews to opt out. Wizz, Ryanair and airBaltic did not immediately respond to The Post’s requests for comment.
“If we start the right to refuse, where will we stop? [When] The next person feels unhappy flying in Iraqi airspace because there is tension there? airBaltic CEO Martin Gaus told Reuters.
The airline meets international safety standards and does not need new policies, Goss said.
“Our aircraft and crew will only fly in airspace that is deemed safe and we will never take any risks in this regard,” Wizz Air said in a statement.
Ryanair – which flew to Jordan and Israel until September – said it makes its safety calls based on EASA guidance.
“If EASA says it’s safe, then, frankly, thank you, we’re not interested in what the unions or some pilots think,” Ryanair CEO Michael O’Leary told Reuters.
EASA said it has been talking to pilots and various airlines over flight safety in recent months.
The agency spoke out against airlines that are disciplining staff members for raising safety concerns.
For some pilots and crew members, the assurances of these airlines failed.
“The fact that Wizz Air sends emails saying it is safe is irrelevant to commercial employees,” wrote an August 12 letter to Wizz Chief Operating Officer Diarmuid O’Conhale on behalf of the Romanian Flight Crew Union. Is written. “Flights into these conflict zones, even if they are rescue missions, should be carried out by military personnel and aircraft, not commercial crews.”
In late September, a longtime Wizz Air pilot had concerns about flying over Iraq at night, which he reported to his employer, the pilot told Reuters.
But Wizz – without any explanation – told him he had to fly that route, the pilot said.
A few days after Iran fired at least 180 missiles at Israel on October 1, Iraq closed its airspace, blocking any flight paths.
Meanwhile, a pilot and a cabin crew member told Reuters they received warnings from their employers after they called in sick or refused to fly on Middle Eastern routes.
Pilots and flight safety experts said the main concern is the firing of missiles in the Middle East, which could accidentally bring down a commercial flight – like the downing of Malaysian Airlines flight MH17 over eastern Ukraine in 2014 and Ukraine International Airlines flight over Tehran in 2014. Fall of PS752. Iran in 2020.
Both planes crashed after being attacked by missiles.
And tensions are only rising in Middle Eastern conflict zones, where, according to data from Osprey Flight Solutions, 165 missiles were launched in November – compared to only 33 in the same month last year.
Restrictions on airspace can only be enforced if a country wishes to close it, although carriers may choose to route flights around the area – but this is significantly more expensive.
Flying a commercial plane from Singapore to London and back again via Afghanistan and Central Asia instead of the Middle East would cost about $5,000 in overflight fees, according to flight plans obtained by Reuters.
with post wires
