Union protests that allowing military to undertake commercial activity will reduce demand for civilian aircrew

Published: 10/26/1999

The trade union representing Russian aircrew members has asked the Federation Council to investigate the economic and social consequences of the government decree issued on 30th July 1999 allowing military and experimental aircraft operators to undertake commercial activities. The trade union claims that this decree exacerbates an already poor situation where existing capacity in the aviation market exceeds demand. This has left the market with a requirement for an estimated 16,000 air crew, compared to 27,000 in 1997. According to the union only 50% of those pilots who graduated in 1998 have found jobs in the industry. Given the high level of redundancies, the union claim that by 2005 there may only be 5,000 aircrew averaging 55 years of age. It also asserts that as aircrews fly less, flight safety will deteriorate, and that the bankruptcy of some operators will impact negatively on payments to federal and local budgets.

Article ID: 1021