mr president having heard from a number of speakers who will no longer be with us after the next election i am hoping that the electorate in britain will allow me to come back here for another term
this is the last time that i shall be speaking from this particular seat in the chamber i shall be relocated during the changes
can i just congratulate mr jarzembowski in particular on the work he has done on behalf of us all in the committee and thank mr tajani and also mr costa for bringing this matter before us
debating the suspension of the eighty twenty rule is very important but it can only be a short-term measure and it must not be allowed to become part of the aviation policy in the longer term
the positives are obvious helping carriers especially the large national flag carriers through the present economic downturn also not being able to fly empty planes to fulfil slot obligations is good for the environment
but the solution is not in this and it must not become permanent
the current problems are linked to the present financial crash but to claim the crisis in the aviation industry is wholly down to this would be wrong
the health of some of our flag carriers has been poor for a number of years and they need to have a careful look at their own business models for the future
they must be viable business entities not specially privileged organisations and resorting to protectionist measures is not acceptable in general to me and to my colleagues
we will of course support the commission in this
but i do not support the use of simplified procedure in the future and i think it would be a good idea for us to have a hearing on the slot allocation directive perhaps in the autumn or winter when we come back
we must find measures to put in place market-based incentives for airlines and airports
in times of difficulty efficiency and innovation need to be rewarded i am a fan of regional airports in particular
lastly let us just mention the plight of pilots the suspension of use it or lose it may well see some pilots out of a job
speaking as a pilot myself can the commission please explain why the pilots associations were not consulted in this matter and could it also confirm that the concerns of pilots and other people working in this industry will be fully taken into account
