The trade unionists Liebhart and Fuszko are calling for precautionary measures on the part of the government and authorities in the wake of the looming Ukraine conflict. Because only these measures would protect against disastrous events.
In view of the escalating conflict in Ukraine, the Vida trade union has made it clear that no economic interests may be included in the risk assessment of flights to or from Ukraine or overflights. "Rather, the safety of airline staff and passengers in civil aviation must have top priority in the weighting of risks," demand Daniel Liebhart, Chairman of vida's Aviation Department, and Anton Fuszko, Chairman of vida's Flying Personnel Committee.
The two Vida trade unionists emphasize that if economic reasons are in the foreground for individual airlines, the state must issue appropriate risk warning levels and appropriate restrictions. Fuszko and Liebhart point out that the current situation has many parallels with 2014, for example, when Malaysian Airlines Flight MH-17 was shot down by anti-aircraft missiles over eastern Ukraine, killing all 298 people on board.
Even if most airlines are currently avoiding the airspace over Ukraine, the decision to fly an alternative route is currently left to the airlines. "In crises with increasing military deployment, it is therefore obvious that only appropriate precautionary measures on the part of the government or the responsible authorities can ultimately prevent such catastrophic events," affirm Liebhart and Fuszko.