That Was The Week That Was 27-31 March
This is the chase: I am gone forever
Shakespeare’s A Winter Tale contains one of the greatest stage directions ever given. ‘Exit, pursued by bear’ it says, immediately after the line above. It has given stage managers and producers heart palpitations ever since. Not even the elephants of Aida are such a handful as a bear. I am not aware of any productions that have taken this stage direction literally but would be delighted to hear of any…
Sadly, that is about as whimsical as today’s column gets, because we stop today to bid farewell to two pillars of European aviation. Monday saw us awake to the news of the passing of Athar Khan, the DG of the European Business Aviation Association. Athar was 60. He had been witness to a very turbulent period in European aviation trade association history. He had been the last ever DG of the Association of European Airlines, the traditional trade association for Europe’s airlines. It was brought down by a fundamental disagreement about what to do in the face of what Air France/KLM and Lufthansa considered the ‘unfair’ practices of the Gulf carriers. They wanted the AEA to launch an all-out war. On the other hand, IAG and Turkish (the then Chair of AEA) were up for the competition. IAG, then led by IATA’s Willie Walsh, went as far as to withdraw from the AEA and join what was then ELFAA, the European Low Fare Airline Association. Neither was sustainable and the Airlines for Europe, or as their website tells you to call it, Airlines Four Europe, was born. Athar went to the EBAA.
Wednesday saw the by then almost inevitable moving on of the DG of DG MOVE, Henrik Hololei. He announced that he was standing back from DG MOVE, following a campaign against him conducted through the pages of Politico. Much of the talk at the A4E annual conference was who might be responsible. Aviation will never find a more supportive regulator. Was that the motivation of those within the Commission that thought he insufficiently strict on aviation’s position on sustainability? The scandal was centred around Henrik taking flights to Qatar. The Q-word is of particular weight in Brussels at the moment. Qatar (and in particular the Air Services Agreement between it and the European Union) has long been considered by some of the same carriers that precipitated the demise of the AEA as a watchword for too much competition and too much liberalisation. If that is the motivation, Hololei’s departure might be a salient reminder to be careful what they wish for.
The final passing we mark this week is not really a passing, nor indeed an hello. It is more of a question. Does Ben Smith exist? Smith is allegedly the CEO of Air France/KLM. But whenever he is on an agenda of the A4E, something weird happens. When the event was held virtually, we would sometimes see glimpses of what might have been a person, apparently called Ben Smith, but might equally have been a holograph or an example of early AI technology. But, before long, technical issues would intervene; ‘Ben Smith’ would fade into the ether. Now that we are back to real conferences Air France/KLM must feel that the technology will not withstand contact with reality, so he sends regrets.
Perhaps he is being pursued by a bear?