The social elections earlier in May were a success and for the first time in the history of Jetairfly, we have 2 pilots officially elected as representatives in the “Works Council” and “Committee Health and Prevention”: Captain Danny Verreyken and myself.

May we thank all the people who voted for us.

The participation was massive: out of 123 management staff, including our captains, 80 voted. Unfortunately, 22 votes were declared invalid, as they arrived too late.

This shows clearly that our pilots care about social issues and dialogue at Jetairfly and want improvements on these matters.

In the mean time, we have had to deal with the aftermath of the tragic terrorist attacks of March in Brussels. These had a deep impact on all of us and the aviation business.

The bookings for this summer are at an all time low. For this reason, it will be our priority to improve social issues without harming our business.

The main points we would like to focus on are:

• Fair treatment and Communication to pilots: the perception of many is that there is room for improvement. All contracts must be fair and equal for all individuals belonging to the same group: F/Os from the time of their recruitment, upgrades to captain or peak captain, bidding procedure for a new position, etc
• Stability Plan evaluation: after one year of implementation, it is time to check if the plan fulfills the needs of the pilots and examine the improvements that can be done. Are there flaws in the system? Is it efficient enough?
• The Safety Policy needs to be outlined: it is vital for pilots that all stakeholders are involved in a transparent system. If an incident occurs, the pilot must be able to rely on a clear procedure that is known to everyone.
• FDM Policy and Protocol: by law, Jetairfly is required to have a protocol defining the FDM procedures. These should ensure confidentiality and proper handling of events in case of identification of flights. Although we do not question the current way of working of the Safety Office, we insist on the importance to have a good protocol protecting our pilots.
• FSAG meeting and FRM: Fatigue is an issue in a charter company and should be monitored closely. Our participation in the Fatigue Safety Action Group allows us to monitor the processes used to mitigate fatigue and the issued recommendations. Fatigue Risk Management is in its start-up phase in all Belgian companies, so we hope that the FSAG will fulfill its targets. The system is based on collected data, so please continue to report fatigue appropriately (and be reminded that it is now compulsory to report fatigue events under the EU 376/2014 legislation).

Delphine Saive, Vice-President Jetairfly