According to the association, while strengthening passenger rights is a shared objective, the outcome of the vote reflects a process shaped more by political positioning than by operational and economic realities. ERA argues that the revised approach risks overlooking the specific operating conditions of regional airlines and their role in maintaining connectivity between Europe’s regions.
The association notes that the revision process has increasingly become a political tug-of-war, prevailing over evidence-based regulation. As a result, regional airlines may face measures that do not sufficiently account for their structural constraints and economic models, potentially leading to reduced services on routes that depend exclusively on regional air transport.
“Regional airlines risk becoming the punchbags of a political tug-of-war. ERA members operate over 1,000 unique routes, yet when compensation can reach two to three times the ticket price, the outcome is not stronger passenger rights but fewer essential air links for islanders, remote regions, and commuters who rely on these services.
This is not about punctuality or compensation. However well-intentioned, decisions in the European Parliament risk turning a passenger-rights file into a barrier to everyday mobility for European citizens by overlooking the impact on regional airlines,” said Montserrat Barriga, Director General of ERA.
ERA highlights that regional airlines play a distinct role within Europe’s transport system. They provide year-round connectivity to remote and isolated areas and, on more than one thousand routes, act as the sole air service provider where no alternative transport modes exist.
In addition, regional carriers connect communities with essential services such as healthcare, education and employment. Their operations are typically based on smaller aircraft fleets, often ranging from 19 to 120 seats, and are characterised by limited rerouting options, single-base operations and reduced access to maintenance facilities.
The association also underlines that regional airlines generally operate on lower margins, making them particularly sensitive to regulatory costs that may be manageable for larger carriers but disproportionate for smaller operators. At the same time, they are identified as contributors to regional development and to the aviation sector’s sustainable transition.
Against this backdrop, ERA argues that the revised EU261 framework risks being punitive for regional aviation, despite the efforts these airlines make to avoid cancellations and maintain services, especially on routes where they provide the only available air link and, in many cases, the only viable transport option.
