Mike Ambrose, director general of the European Regions Airline Association (ERA), slammed the European Commission last month for a failure to apply basic business-like practices when drafting legislative proposals, resulting in an environment that costs the European airline industry billions of euros, according to the ERA.

Speaking to the Directors General Civil Aviation of ECAC (European Civil Aviation Conference) at their triennial meeting on July 8, Ambrose called for cost reductions by the bodies that provide Europe’s air navigation services and for a moratorium on all regulatory proposals that add cost burdens to airlines.

“Had the commission performed a business impact assessment before drafting the proposed legislation on compensation and assistance for air passengers, it would have been obvious that the problems encountered by European air passengers when flights are canceled or delayed did not warrant a two-billion-euro solution,” said Ambrose.

Despite more than 150 changes made by the European Parliament and the European Union Council of Transport Ministers, much of the draft proposal remains ambiguous and unclear in its intentions, and it strikes a poor balance between the interests of the vast majority of passengers who enjoy trouble-free journeys and those who have experienced disruptions, according to the ERA.