EasyJet has filed the first of two court cases against the French air transport industry, accusing French slots attribution organisation COHOR of favouring Air France at the administrative court in Melun near Paris (Flight International, 20-26 April), writes Christina Mackenzie.
The airline's chief executive Ray Webster is aiming to make French travellers aware of the lack of competition in the French air transport sector. EasyJet says the "very great difficulty" in obtaining departure slots from Paris's two main airports, Charles de Gaulle and Orly, is "hindering the development of competition between airline companies operating in France...contrary to what is being done today in other European countries".
EasyJet says COHOR has far too many ties with Air France and is thus not the "neutral, transparent and non-discriminatory" co-ordination organisation that it should be according to European Union directives.
In a statement COHOR says the airline has been slow in taking up slots attributed to it by the organisation and that Easyjet knew how congested the airports were when it set up in France.
Source: Flight International
