Arabs must repel EU regulation, says DGCA

CAIRO: The Director General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) Yousef Al-Fouzan stressed yesterday the importance of repelling EU’s recent regulation on fair competition in civil aviation. Fouzan made his remarks to KUNA on the sidelines of Arab league’s special meeting in Cairo regarding Arab dealing with EU’s regulation No 868/2004 which aims to secure fair competition between European and international airline companies. The meeting discusses the regulation only and reviews its details, he said, adding that the Kuwaiti delegation will submit a number of proposals in that regard, and that a final worksheet on Arab consensus is to be issued at the meeting’s conclusion. The regulation serves two countries only of the 28 members in the EU, Fouzan said, pointing out the pressures put by France’s Air France and Germany’s Lufthansa on the Union in this regard. The EU regulation also prohibits Arab governments from backing their national carrier companies, he said, noting that Air France and Lufthansa have been receiving support by the French and German governments for over 80 years. It also seeks to limit the ongoing growth of Arab and Gulf aviation companies, particularly UAE’s Emirates and Etihad, and Qatar’s Qatar Airways, companies with most acquisitions in the civil aviation market, said the Kuwaiti official. The meeting will forward the Arab stand against the regulation to the Arab Parliament, which would eventually discuss it with the EU before enforcing the regulation into a law, he noted.