ISTANBUL—European airlines want airports to extend their operating hours to lessen potential disruptions caused by an upcoming NATO air exercise.

Carriers are also seeking clarity on whether they will be penalized for any delays resulting from the military exercise.

The German-led, multinational Air Defender 2023 exercise will focus on operational and tactical-level flying and will take place across Germany June 12-24. 

“The upcoming Air Defender military exercise in Germany is causing considerable concern,” said IATA Regional VP, Europe, Rafael Schvartzman during a briefing June 4 at the organization’s annual general meeting in Istanbul. He said IATA has been working with the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Mobility and Transport (DG MOVE) to address those concerns.

“While airlines appreciate that this military exercise must take place, our teams have been coordinating with DG MOVE, the network manager, and others to ensure mitigation plans have been developed providing maximum flexibility,” Schvartzman said. 

The exercise is likely to affect slots and schedules, he said. 

“It will very likely require flexibility to retime slots as the exercise unfolds. Unfortunately, in some instances this flexibility may not be enough,” he said. “Any operational issues resulting from significant disruption to major airspace routing will require special measures, for example, extended airport operating hours must be considered.”

“DG MOVE does not consider this exercise as an exceptional circumstance in relation to EU261 [the EU’s passenger rights legislation],” Schvartzman said. He added that IATA wants alignment at an EU level on whether airlines will be required to compensate passengers for any delays related to the exercise.

“This is an extraordinary time, actually in the summer period as well, so we want extraordinary measures,” he said. “That’s what we’re saying: We need to extend the hours and we need to also make sure that we are also aware of the impact of EU261 on airlines ... for something that is not of their causing.”

Asked if he was optimistic about obtaining those assurances, Schvartzman said he had not received negative signals from the talks.

“Today people seem to be optimistic, but we know how the European airspace is, especially in summer, so we should take all precautions to make sure we don’t affect passengers unnecessarily,” he said. 

“We do not want different authorities to take decisions and enforce penalties for delays relating to this exercise,” Schvartzman said. “And it’s vital that we avoid the precedent that airspace closures are not considered an extraordinary event.”