The Commission, specifically the Directorate-General for Mobility and Transport (DG MOVE), has initiated a fitness check of key airport regulations: the Slot Regulation (Council Regulation No 95/93), the Ground Handling Directive (Council Directive 96/67/EC), and the Airport Charges Directive (2009/12/EC).
The most important one of the three – at least in terms of direct impact on ground workers – is the Ground Handling Directive. The Slot Regulation is all about the allocation of take-off and landing slots at airports, and the Airport Charges Directive sets rules and principles regarding the cost of operating from a specific airport. Both aim to create transparency and non-discriminatory and fair competition in the aviation sector.
The purpose of the Ground Handling Directive is to ensure liberalisation of ground services at airports. The Commission has long believed that liberalisation and competition will improve quality and efficiency in ground handling, while cutting costs and strengthening working conditions. It is supposed to be the high tide that floats all boats.
Reality paints another picture.
Liberalisation of ground services has not delivered the promised improvements. On the contrary, competition, tendering, and near constant cost cutting have led to labour shortages, declining real wages and working conditions, and increasing safety risks. We all know the consequences and the development of the past decades. The state of ground handling is not well. To put it bluntly, the Ground Handling Directive is flawed, and it has failed both the workers and the industry.
If you agree that there are better ways to organise ground handling, to ensure the operational stability and social resilience, please engage and help us make sure that the voice of frontline workers and trade unions is heard.
The best thing we can do right now is to take part in the survey sent out by DG Move. Click on the link: https://surveys.ramboll.com/LinkCollector?key=UW7LVGTQJK31
The survey takes about 30–60 minutes to complete. The deadline is 11 June 2025.
Please feel free to share the link with colleagues and members within your organisation.
The ETF will focus our answers on the Ground Handling Directive. And our core message will be the following:
We hope you take the time to answer the survey and help us shape the future of Ground Handling. It would be especially good if you can bring up concrete examples of how liberalisation and competition have not worked as the Commission intended.