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“It is up to the airports to compensate passengers for canceled flights” – Corriere.it


Willie Walsh, IATA Director General in Doha, Qatar

DOHA – The head of the world airline association calls on European airports to do their part and compensate passengers who are victims of long queues in terminals, of flights canceled due to lack of staff at airports and lost baggage because sorting systems break down. “We can’t always be the airlines who put the face and the money for events we are not responsible for,” says Willie Walshgeneral manager of IATA, during a chat with the Corriere della Sera on the sidelines of the association’s annual meeting in Doha, Qatar. “Every year in Europe we pay 10 billion euros in compensation to travelers for EU Regulation 261”calculates the former number one of Iag, holding company of British Airways, Iberia, Vueling, Aer Lingus.


Should we prepare for a summer to forget in the European skies?
“I think the inconvenience for passengers will be limited to some areas, some companies and some airports. And let’s not forget that there are still people in the sector who are infected by Covid and this implies that they must stay at home “.


If we look at the chaos in some European airports, travelers take it out on companies.
«It is so. We are footing the bill for the problems caused not by us, but by other parts of the industry. It is interesting to note that three of the airports that have recently had problems with flights – Dublin, London Heathrow and Amsterdam – are also the ones that will introduce the biggest fare increases. ‘

Are these increases justified?
“No! People are flying again. Let’s look at London Heathrow: they have made catastrophic predictions for this year and next so as to justify the price increases. But the real numbers are believing them: the recovery is faster than expected ».

Are the inconveniences of recent weeks in Europe the fault of the airports? “Yes, but partly also of the airlines.”

Can you give a percentage of the responsibilities?
“It depends on the place. Problems in Dublin, for example, are 90% the fault of the airport management company. In Manchester for 100%. In Amsterdam 90%. At Heathrow … 110%! ‘

If airlines are forced to cancel flights because of airports, should they ask management companies to pay compensation to passengers?
“Yes, of course they have to. But they don’t want to do it. “

Dublin Airport Chief has promised he will compensate passengers …
“True. And it is the first time in the world that this thing has been heard. But I can assure you that her colleagues in her industry tore him apart by telling him “what did you do”. In the end, the airlines always take the blame, even when the baggage sorting system that is owned by the airport and not by the airlines breaks down ”.

But are there legal tools for you to make airports pay compensation for inconvenience caused by them and not by you?
“No. We can sue and not pay the airport expenses ».

Don’t you think the airlines have responsibilities too, putting a few too many flights on sale this summer?
“I do not doubt it. But that was done in the hope that the industry would have all the resources to handle a huge influx of people. Unfortunately, however, just to give an example, in the United Kingdom the time to obtain security clearances for new hires has gone from 2-3 weeks to 12 and this has slowed down the increase in resources ».

I rephrase the question: did the airlines schedule flights without consulting with the airports and without understanding that there would be problems?
“No, not at all. I remember that it was precisely the airports that asked to return to the old rules on the use of slots (which require airlines to use at least 80% of the take-off and landing rights assigned to keep them otherwise they lose them, ndr), rules that were suspended during Covid. And what should the companies have done other than planning a season with at least 80% of 2019 summer volumes? The airports should then have made sure to be able to manage at least 80% of the flows but they have not done so and here we are with the inconveniences ».

The other big issue is the pandemic: the scientific community is preparing for a new wave of infections in autumn-winter.
“If politics acts rationally in the next wave, we will no longer see the closure of borders and the stop to flights between countries: studies and the reality of the facts have shown that this measure does not stop the spread of the virus. Not to mention the economic damage caused ».

However, people may ask for this measure.
“Actually I think that popular support for closing borders to stop the pandemic today is much weaker than it was in the early days, when we didn’t know about the virus and we were all scared. Today I think the public would no longer tolerate those restrictions ».

Other measures that we should no longer see?
“The bureaucracy, the documents to fill out that nobody reads, the expensive molecular tests and the mandatory antigenic ones. I made 39 molecular swabs in 2021, not counting the quick ones ».

But in the presence of an important rise in infections, governments could re-introduce the restrictions …
“I don’t see any reason even though I realize they were popular in the beginning. The risk does not come from the flight: there is a very low probability of getting infected on board a plane, you risk more at the supermarket. Governments should stop with politicized science ”.

So what should governments do in the face of a new wave?
“They don’t have to close borders and stop flights. They must aim to strengthen the health system and keep it ready to handle an influx of people in need of medical attention. They must avoid being found without masks, as happened in the beginning. Their job is to provide the services required in the event of a pandemic, not to stop aviation, which, moreover, has been useful for hiding the shortcomings in the health system ».

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