ERA urges EU to pause passenger rights revision
The European Regions Airline Association (ERA) has coordinated an open letter from 35 chief executives of European regional airlines to European Union policymakers, requesting an immediate pause to the revision of EU261 passenger rights regulations. The organisation warns that the proposed compensation burdens, arriving alongside elevated jet fuel prices and rising operating costs, threaten the financial viability of thin regional routes and could trigger airline failures across the sector.
The appeal focuses on the operational exposure of regional carriers, which operate smaller fleets and serve remote communities, islands, and isolated regions. According to the letter, the current regulatory proposals apply a uniform framework that fails to account for the unique operational constraints and limited capacity flexibility inherent to regional aviation.
With airlines currently exposed to geopolitical instability and shifting market conditions, the association argues that further regulatory costs will force operators to cut routes and ground aircraft. ERA is demanding that policymakers halt the current revision process to conduct a comprehensive impact assessment reflecting the current economic environment.
“Regional airlines are the lifeline for many of Europe’s communities, connecting people to education, healthcare, economic opportunity and the wider world. Passenger rights must be strong and fair, but they must also be workable. We urge policymakers to pause and reassess, and to deliver a balanced reform that protects passengers without putting essential air links at risk,” said Montserrat Barriga, director general of the European Regions Airline Association.
The signatory chief executives stated that the revised compensation framework risks isolating communities rather than protecting them. The association is calling for a restructured compensation regime that explicitly recognises the specific network structures and fleet profiles of the regional aviation sector to mitigate liquidity risks for smaller carriers.
Read the letter here.
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