EU Airline Lobby, Unions Call to Suspend Qatar Agreement

The EU is Under Pressure To Suspend Contentious Airline Deal With Qatar After Key Official Accepted Free Business Class Flights

The European Union has been urged to immediately suspend a contentious Air Transport Agreement with the tiny but incredibly wealthy Persian Gulf state of Qatar after it emerged that a key figure on the European side of the negotiations had accepted free Business Class tickets with state-owned carrier Qatar Airways. Late last month, European Commission vice president Henna Virkkunen confirmed that a senior official had been forced to leave his jo…

EU airline lobby, unions call to suspend Qatar agreement

An airline lobby group and two labour organisations have appealed to suspend and reassess the European Union's open skies agreement with Qatar after a top European Commission official responsible for the negotiations was fired amid corruption allegations. The European Network Airlines’ Association, the European Cockpit Association, and European Transport Workers’ Federation said that the sacking of Henrik Holohei, the former director general for…

EU-Qatar aviation deal under threat after corruption claims

A proposed aviation deal between the European Union and Qatar is under scrutiny after the end-of-January sacking of the European official who negotiated it, following allegations of corruption. Henrik Hololei, the European Commission’s ex-director for transport, brokered the EU-Qatar Comprehensive Aviation Agreement, a deal that would have given Qatar Airways access to the European market and EU airlines access to Qatar. Hololei, who resigned fr…

European airports warn against suspending EU-Qatar aviation deal

Europe’s airports have voiced strong concerns over calls to suspend the EU’s aviation agreement with Qatar, warning that such a move could damage air connectivity, reduce consumer choice and undermine the European Union’s international credibility. The EU-Qatar Comprehensive Aviation Agreement was negotiated by the European Commission on behalf of EU member states and approved by them. It forms part of the EU’s wider external aviation policy, wh…

ACI Europe warns against suspension of Qatar aviation agreement

European airports are deeply concerned by recent calls to suspend the EU-Qatar Comprehensive Aviation Agreement, warning that such a move would undermine air connectivity, consumer choice, and the EU’s credibility on the international scene, warns Airports Council International Europe (ACI Europe). In a press statement, ACI Europe says that like all EU Comprehensive Aviation Agreements, the agreement with Qatar was negotiated by the European Com…