Dear Members,

in the current situation, VC members / VC itself and its committees are facing pressure from many sides. Board Members, our great number of active members in working groups and of course the entire VC staff are very much aware of how severely the crisis has affected many of you. For all of us as members of the VC, it must therefore always be clear that our association is a place of solidarity and mutual support for all of us!

Let us use this chance - which, admittedly, has been forced upon us - to point out the added value of VC! We can assert considerable influence on relevant topics from collective agreements to politics and flight safety, even though we are a comparatively small association with about 10,000 members nationwide. But there are reasons for our influence: it is hard-earned every day by active VC members and our staff. And all this work would be impossible without your support as members!

Oliver Löwe
Director Membership Affairs

Our activities for all German / German based pilots naturally go far beyond the external impact, because we also offer added value internally, for instance by helping members in difficult situations: our support line offers assistance in personal crises, we have the emergency telephone for incidents and accidents in everyday flight operations and we also support many colleagues in keeping their licenses and ratings current so that they do not have to give up their dream job but can return to the cockpit after the pandemic.

At the moment, many internal processes are already underway, which we hope will make our VC more effective in order to increase the "benefit" even more. This is another way we would like to regain trust and thus be a reliable contact in difficult situations. In the end, we are only strong because of our members. Therefore, let us work together for a bright future for all pilots in Germany.

Condor Takeover Completed - VC welcomes Job Preservation and Clear Prospects for the Company

VC welcomes the completion of the majority takeover of Condor by Attestor. The new investor offers both the company and its employees a long-term perspective and thus security for the future. The EU Commission had previously enabled the final completion of the majority takeover by approving the aid from the German federal government and the state of Hesse.

The way out of the crisis is now clear for Condor with the new majority owner and fresh equity. From the workforce perspective, it is particularly noteworthy that all jobs will be preserved.

"This is very good news for all colleagues at Condor," says VC President Stefan Herth. "We are pleased that Attestor is opening up new perspectives for Condor. Of course, we also welcome the commitment of German politics and the green light from the EU Commission for the takeover. We are now looking forward to continuing the well-cultivated social partnership at Condor with the new owner so that we can shape the future of the airline together."

Camera Training for active VC Members

In July we had the first round of video trainings for active company council and working group members. Our trainer Frank Nürnberger welcomed seven participants to the two one-day seminars. The main training objective was to be prepared for video conferences and hybrid meetings that have become so widespread in the past one and a half years, as well as for short appearances in front of media cameras.

The next training sessions for active members are scheduled for autumn, with exact dates to be communicated. Those interested in the next round can already register by sending an e-mail to presse@vcockpit.de.

VC Airport Check 2021 - Pandemic poses Operational Challenges / Airports are well prepared for the Ramp Up

The effects of the Covid-19 pandemic, with very low air traffic volumes at times, are presenting airports with unprecedented challenges. However, this year's VC Airport Check showed that German airports are well prepared for the ramp up.

"Safety at German airports is generally high," says Leila Belaasri, Director Press and Public Relations. "It clearly shows that even in times of crisis, safety is a top priority. Airports are handling the situation very consciously and are well prepared for the resurgence in air traffic."

There are various operational challenges for the airports: for instance, aircraft parked for long periods can cause damage to ground surfaces, which are not structurally designed to withstand sustained loads. Operational vehicles and equipment - like aircraft - must be restored to proper condition after extended periods of idling, and personnel must be trained to ensure safe operations.

Detailed results

Munich and Leipzig were able to keep their top positions in this year's evaluation. Berlin/Tegel Airport dropped out of our ranking since it was closed for good last year. A new addition is Lübeck Airport, which has been offering regular scheduled flights again since August 2020. Its rating of 3.0 is partly due to the fact that aircraft have to use the runway for taxiing, which increases the risk of runway incursions or even collisions of aircraft.

Please visit our dedicated website for the entire VC Airport Check with all results in detail and a lot of background information at:

www.vc-flughafencheck.de

Regulatory Offence Procedures at the BAF - Sanction Automatisms or Work with a Sense of Proportion? Take a Look behind the Scenes in the Guest Article

Following requests from VC members and the European Cockpit Association (ECA) for advice on regulatory offence procedures, the VC Flight Safety Department contacted the German Federal Supervisory Office for Air Navigation Services (BAF) and invited them to an exchange.

The open, informative and constructive discussions resulted in an offer from us to explain BAF's working methods in more detail in the VC Info, which the office was happy to accept. The aim of this guest article was:

to clarify how regulatory offence proceedings are initiated,
to understand the basics of the BAF's way of working,
to clarify the protection of information from flight reports,
to show the integration of the Just Culture principles and
to draw attention to the most common violations registered at BAF.

To the BAF guest article (in German)

ECA Survey - Social Rating of European Airlines

The survey "Social rating of European airlines" is the basis for an ECA project to rank our employers in terms of social aspects. It is addressed to pilots in all ECA member countries. The survey is a first part for the rating. More facts will be requested from the ECA member associations in a second step, based on criteria of the VC Social Barometer. The data will form one of the bases for future ECA campaigns for a more social aviation.

Our VC Social Barometer had been created as a "tool" for our political communications and lobbying several years ago and has now served as a pioneer and idea generator for the ECA project. With the expansion to the whole of Europe, it also has the character of a benchmark from a trade union perspective.

The survey takes just two to three minutes to complete and contains a series of yes-no questions on the use of atypical employment, contractual arrangements, representation rights, work-life balance and the general satisfaction of employees with their airlines.

Based on this information, the airlines will be rated on a scale from "social" to "unsocial." The survey will run until September, after which the results will be evaluated and published on the ECA website per airline.

Take the survey "Social rating of European airlines" here.

ECA Position Paper - Extended Minimum Crew / Single Pilot Operations

The new ECA position paper addresses the much-debated concept of Extended Minimum Crew Operations (eMCO) and Single Pilot Operations (SPO). The paper contains ECA's key policy messages, while also highlighting a number of aviation safety concerns that have been driving both ECA and VC as representatives of those directly affected.

The fundamental problem, that the technology has not yet matured to the point where eMCO/SPO is possible without compromising safety, remains for the time being, which is why these concepts cannot be supported in any phase of flight to date. It is critical that all safety risks posed by either concept be fully analysed, understood, and resolved before any change in standards is considered.

Policy makers are urged to change their perspective: Technological advances should be used to support and enhance human capacity on board, at best providing additional safety, rather than replacing that capacity with technology. The position paper thus emphasizes the fundamental role of "human" pilots as a safety resource.

Position Paper: The Human and the concepts of Extended Minimum Crew Operations (eMCO) and Single Pilot Operations (SiPO)

News from Associations, Organisations and Regulators

ECA

"The narrative that humans create problems and machines solve them is flawed" - supporting the new position paper, ECA Vice-President Juan Carlos Lozano makes this point in his editorial: "Who is in Control?".