In this edition of State of the Union we focus on considerations by the EU aviation safety authority and some airlines to cut one pilot for cost reasons. The pilots are vehemently opposed to this.
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00:00 Hello and welcome to State of the Union.
00:07 I'm Stefan Grobe in Brussels.
00:10 The world has gotten used to nonsensical remarks by Donald Trump.
00:14 That's why European leaders rarely comment on them.
00:17 They usually hold their nose and move on.
00:21 But Trump's suggestion during a campaign rally that the United States would not protect
00:25 NATO allies who failed to spend enough on defence sparked a rare public backlash.
00:31 Dangerous, unhinged, appalling.
00:36 Those were some of the friendlier reactions.
00:38 Here's the EU's foreign policy chief.
00:42 NATO cannot be a à la carte military alliance.
00:47 Cannot be a military alliance that works depending on the humour of the president of the US on
00:54 those days.
00:56 It's not yes, now yes, tomorrow no, it depends who are you.
01:00 Now come on, let's be serious.
01:03 Let's be serious.
01:06 At a meeting of NATO defence ministers this week, participants were also not in the mood
01:11 to mince words.
01:13 The whole idea of NATO is that an attack on one ally will trigger the response from the
01:17 whole alliance.
01:18 And as long as we stand behind that message together, we prevent any military attack on
01:27 any ally.
01:28 So, any suggestion that we are not standing up for each other, that we are not going to
01:33 protect each other, that does undermine the security of all of us.
01:37 Stoltenberg also reported record military spending of the alliance.
01:41 As budgetary decisions are taken over a period of months, NATO spending cannot be considered
01:47 a direct response to Trump, who has a track record of hostile remarks about NATO.
01:53 It rather reflects a response to Russian aggression and Vladimir Putin.
01:57 High military spending is being done in a rather difficult economic situation.
02:03 This week, European aerospace group Ebbas reported its latest earnings.
02:08 The numbers were mixed.
02:10 The financial forecast for 2024 was cautious.
02:14 In general, it's a tough financial environment for the aviation industry, who is looking
02:19 toward cutting costs everywhere.
02:22 One option under consideration is a reduction of the number of pilots at the controls of
02:27 an airliner.
02:28 It's called the Extended Minimum Crew Operations, EMCO.
02:34 Something that pilots believe is a deeply concerning development that would come at
02:39 the cost of safety.
02:41 Joining me now is Otcan De Bruyne, president of the European Cockpit Association.
02:46 Welcome to the program.
02:47 Thank you.
02:49 So you represent more than 40,000 pilots in 33 countries.
02:54 Tell us why your organization is against EMCO.
02:59 So in aviation, we have redundancy and backup for all safety critical systems.
03:05 And this philosophy is at the core of modern aviation.
03:10 To give an example, on board of large airplanes, every safety critical system is installed
03:15 twofold or threefold to prevent this crucial failure.
03:20 Currently, there are also two pilots at the controls of an aircraft.
03:24 Two pilots work as a team.
03:26 They serve as this critical safety net, monitoring systems, but also monitoring each other, detecting
03:33 errors and mitigating potential hazards before they escalate.
03:37 Just to be sure, what are the risks associated with a one pilot only scheme?
03:43 So in this concept, when this one pilot is there for hours during the cruise phase, he
03:49 or she would need to take a toilet break.
03:51 And during this toilet break, there would be no pilot.
03:53 So what happens, for instance, if at that moment, air traffic control asks you to deviate
04:00 from your flight path, if there is an engine fire or smoke developing on the flight deck
04:04 or a collision warning, I as a pilot will not be able to be responsible for the safety
04:10 of my passengers, of my crew and my aircraft.
04:15 The one pilot concept is under evaluation by the EU Aviation Safety Agency.
04:20 How advanced is this evaluation and have you guys been consulted?
04:25 Yes, so in the last two years, a small group of stakeholders has been consulted in which
04:30 we indeed were also consulted and have been involved.
04:35 It is the first time in history where the European Aviation Safety Agency is starting
04:41 rulemaking without the purpose of solving a safety issue.
04:46 Instead, they are introducing many safety issues and we have no trust in this evaluation
04:53 process being carried out independently and impartially.
04:59 What about your employers?
05:00 The airlines, where do they come down on this?
05:04 It is very simple.
05:05 It is commercially driven by some airlines who see a potential of saving some money by
05:09 reducing the number of pilots during long haul flights.
05:15 Airlines may be tempted by the prospect of gaining this cost saving competitive advantage
05:21 through the elimination of this pilot.
05:23 However, they may find themselves unpleasantly surprised to discover that commercial incentives
05:30 are an extremely risky driver in aviation.
05:34 And if they doubt this, they should simply ask Boeing.
05:38 All right, Ottender Bruijn, President of the European Cockpit Association.
05:41 Thank you so much for filling us in on this very important topic.
05:45 Thank you very much.
05:48 Before we go, here`s a look at the carnival season that came to an end this week.
05:54 Some of the biggest parades traditionally take place in Western Germany.
05:58 In Cologne alone, an estimated 1.5 million people took to the streets to celebrate the
06:05 fun amid an abundance of candy, flowers and alcohol.
06:11 Like the carnival in Venice or Rio de Janeiro, the parades in Germany feature floats that
06:17 address political issues with biting sarcasm.
06:21 A float in Cologne had figures of Vladimir Putin, President Xi Jinping of China and Iran`s
06:27 supreme leader Ali Khamenei, all with planks of wood nailed to their heads.
06:33 In German, that means you`re an idiot.
06:37 Another float showed Ukrainian President Zelensky holding a helmet next to the inscription "To
06:43 be or NATO be".
06:45 Amazing how complex issues suddenly become clear when you`re in a very festive mood.
06:52 That`s it for this edition.
06:54 I`m Stefan Grobe.
06:56 Thank you for watching.
06:57 Have an excellent week.
06:58 Thank you.