【By Liu Bai, Observers Network】Air France-Holland Group, the largest airline group in Europe, and Lufthansa of Germany were once competitors, but now they are joining forces to complain about the "unfair competition" faced by European airlines due to the ban on flying over Russian airspace, putting Western European airlines at a disadvantage compared to their Chinese counterparts.

Ben Smith, CEO of Air France-Holland Group, said in an interview that Western European airlines have to avoid Russian airspace when flying to Asia, which increases flight time by 2 to 2.5 hours, while Chinese airlines are not subject to such restrictions, placing Western European airlines at a competitive disadvantage against their Chinese counterparts.

"The situation for European airlines is becoming increasingly difficult," reported German newspaper Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung on October 20 with this headline, publishing a joint interview with Smith and Carsten Spohr, CEO of Lufthansa. The two rarely spoke together, complaining about the "extremely unequal competitive environment" faced by European airlines in international competition.

Smith mentioned that recently, the Trump administration expressed a desire to prohibit airlines that fly over Russian airspace from entering the United States. Both expressed support for this plan.

"For some airlines, the ban on flying over Russian airspace would only add 20 to 25 minutes to the flight time. But for Western European airlines, the situation is much more severe. We have to avoid Russia when flying to Asia, which can increase flight time by up to 2 to 2.5 hours."

"While Chinese airlines are not subject to such restrictions. All the additional costs resulting from the extra flight time must be borne by us. Moreover, passengers are unwilling to spend an additional two hours on already long intercontinental flights."

"Therefore, we cannot understand this situation, as it effectively gives Chinese airlines a gift to enter the European market, while we are at a competitive disadvantage."

On July 15, a Air France aircraft was taxiing at Munich Airport in Oberding, Germany. IC Photo

Spohr said he hopes Trump's plan will be implemented, and that Europe should also take similar measures. It is crucial for the European Commission and member states to take active actions on this issue.

Smith also said that the European aviation industry lacks a "fair competitive environment." "In long-haul routes, the European market has been largely open, but many of our competitors have advantages that European airlines do not possess. Some non-EU airlines do not have to comply with the same government regulations or tax requirements, allowing them to expand freely in the European market."

He recalled that over the past 20 years, the growth of the three major European airlines has stagnated, while some of their competitors have flourished. Three airlines have taken full advantage of the opportunity to enter the European market almost without restrictions. With more flights passing through Qatar, Turkey, and the UAE, it is becoming increasingly difficult for European airlines to launch direct flights, and this trend is hard to reverse. Building an aviation hub capable of competing with Gulf carriers or Turkish Airlines takes decades.

Spohr said this is not just an economic issue. The current geopolitical situation should make people clear two points: first, it is more important than ever to strengthen connections between people, cultures, and economies to maintain world stability as much as possible; second, for Europeans, it is also a matter of sovereignty. We cannot independently ensure our own national defense security, nor can we meet our energy needs on our own, so we should at least have the ability to connect ourselves and the European market with the rest of the world.

After the outbreak of the Ukraine-Russia conflict, airlines from the US and Western countries were banned from flying over Russian airspace by Russia or their own governments, or chose not to fly over Russian airspace due to safety concerns.

On the other hand, Chinese airlines continue to fly over Russian airspace, taking the shorter northern route to Europe and North America. For example, the flight time for British airlines on the London-Beijing route is 2.5 hours longer than that of Chinese airlines, facing higher fuel costs.

Data and analysis company Cirium showed that by the end of last year, Chinese airlines accounted for about 75% of the seat capacity on all flights between Germany and France. Chinese airlines are also expected to account for 100% of the market share on flights to Italy, and 95% on flights to the UK.

However, Western airlines' complaints about "unfair competition" are not new. Last October, these two airlines jointly lobbied the French and German governments to restrict the number of flights from Chinese airlines to Europe.

This month, the Trump administration threatened to prohibit Chinese airlines from flying over Russian airspace when operating flights between the US and China, claiming that previous policies put American airlines at a "disadvantage."

At a regular press conference held by the Chinese Foreign Ministry on October 10, spokesperson Guo Jia Kun responded to a question from Reuters reporter about the Chinese government's comments, stating that specific issues should be directed to the relevant Chinese authorities. Imposing restrictions on Chinese airlines' operations is not conducive to bilateral personnel exchanges. We suggest that the US should reflect on the impact of its policies on its own companies, rather than unjustly suppressing others and making global consumers pay the price.

This article is an exclusive contribution by Observers Network. Unauthorized reproduction is prohibited.

Original: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7563486117077565971/

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