European Pilots warn against more traffic rights for UAE airlines
without fair competition

The European Cockpit Association (ECA) - representing over 44.000 pilots from across Europe - urges Germany not to grant additional traffic rights to UAE airlines unless fair competition conditions are guaranteed.

ECA warns against granting more traffic rights to airlines from the United Arab Emirates while major differences in competitive conditions and respect of social standards remain. The European pilots call on the German Government to protect the long-term interests of European aviation and Europe’s strategic autonomy before approving any further market access, at a meeting with the UAE State President, next week.

This is not only about individual flights. More traffic rights can permanently redirect traffic between Europe and major international markets. If more passengers are routed through non-European hubs, Europe risks losing value creation, jobs, and competitiveness.

“Europe cannot continue opening its aviation market indefinitely when the airlines involved operate under fundamentally different conditions. Competition is important, but it must be fair. Anyone granting additional traffic rights must therefore also consider the consequences for high-quality jobs, European hubs, and the long-term competitiveness of our aviation sector,” says Capt. Paul Reuter, ECA Vice President.

Operational conditions are also unequal. European airlines can’t overfly Russian airspace since Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine. Emirates, however, continues to use it. This gives UAE carriers shorter routes to many Asian destinations, while European airlines face longer flights and higher costs. UAE airlines have also expanded services to Russia since the beginning of the war. The UAE thereby provide Russia with international connectivity, whilst Europe is busy fending off Russian military interference at it borders and even inside its territory - the recent Leipzig drone incident being just one of many such interferences.

At the same time, ECA reaffirms that effective competition within Europe remains essential. A strong European aviation sector must not mean protecting the existing market positions of individual operators from competition. Established European airlines should likewise not use a privileged position to reduce competitive pressure, particularly when this comes at the expense of quality and service while ticket prices remain high.

For ECA, this illustrates a broader challenge for European aviation policy:

“Market liberalisation and connectivity must not be viewed in isolation. Social standards and European quality jobs, geopolitical realities, climate regulation, and the strategic importance of a strong European aviation sector must also be taken into account in political decision-making,” said Reuter. “The key issue is that Europe must be able to safeguard its own connectivity without becoming dependent on non-European hubs, airlines and states which have their own commercial and political interests - and which may very well diverge from Europe’s own strategic interests.”

ECA calls on the German Government and European institutions to apply a consistent approach when considering granting additional traffic rights to foreign countries. Any such decision must take full account of its impact on European jobs, airlines and hubs, as well as on Europe’s strategic autonomy – especially in these times of geopolitical uncertainty.

BlueSky Business Aviation News | 10th September 2026 | Issue #857