If the European Union Aviation Safety Agency “says it’s safe,” the CEO of Ryanair said in response, “we’re not interested in what the unions or some pilot think.”

By JNS

European airlines are seeing an uptick in staff and union objections to continuing travel over airspace in the Middle East during the ongoing war between Israel and Iran’s terrorist proxies, according to a Reuters investigation published on Dec. 11.

One unnamed pilot recounted expressing concerns about a nighttime flight over Iraq due to the tension between Iran and Israel. His airline, Wizz Air, assured him of the region’s security. “I wasn’t really happy with it,” he said.

A few days later, Iraq closed its airspace following the Iranian missile strike on Israel on Oct. 1.

“It confirmed my suspicion that it wasn’t safe,” the pilot said.

Wizz Air, a low-cost airline based out of Hungary, defended its decision, stating that “our aircraft and crews will only fly in airspace that has been deemed safe, and we would never take any risks in this respect.”

The Middle East is a key air corridor for planes heading to India, Southeast Asia and Australia. According to EUROCONTROL data, roughly 1,400 flights to and from Europe crisscrossed the region daily last year.

Reuters spoke to four pilots, three cabin crew members, three flight security experts and two airline executives about growing safety concerns in the European air industry due to escalating tensions in the Middle East following the Hamas-led attack in southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023.

Of those interviewed, three pilots and two aviation safety experts said that their top worries were being accidentally shot down in the chaos and the increased risk of an emergency landing.

While some European airlines, including Lufthansa and KLM, allow crews to opt out of routes they don’t feel are safe, others, such as Wizz Air, Ryanair and airBaltic, do not.

Martin Gauss, CEO of airBaltic, defended his airline’s decision to continue flying over airspace in the Middle East, pointing to its compliance with international safety standards.

“If we start a right of refusal, then where do we stop? [When] the next person feels unhappy overflying Iraqi airspace because there’s tension there?” Gauss asked.

Ryanair CEO Michael O’Leary similarly stated that his airline will follow the guidance of the European Union Aviation Safety Agency when making its decisions.

“If EASA says it’s safe, then, frankly, thank you, we’re not interested in what the unions or some pilot think,” O’Leary said.