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At its General Assembly (25/26 Nov.) the European Cockpit Association further increased its representativeness by welcoming two Pilot Associations from the Balkan region into membership. ECA thereby represents 38.200 pilots from 36 European countries. The Assembly elected two new Executive Board Directors and re-elected its President Capt. Martin Chalk, for another 2-year term. ECA members voiced their strong concern about developments around the Alitalia takeover by C.A.I. and the way Italian pilots are dealt with in this context.

ECA's General Assembly unanimously supported the membership applications by the

  • Association of Airline Pilots in Bosnia and Herzegovina (ALPAB),
  • Montenegrin Airline Pilots' Association (MonALPA)
Capt. Chalk stressed that "this is an important step to further broadening ECA's representative and geographical scope, in particular in a region where pilots and their associations are confronted with novel challenges".

As part of its regular Executive Board elections, the Assembly renewed part of the organisation’s executive body by electing:

  • Capt. Martin Chalk – President (United Kingdom)
  • Capt. Régis Fusenig – Technical Affairs Director (France)
  • Capt. Joe Kraus - Professional Affairs Director (Czech Republic).

The delegates debated a wide range of safety and other professional issues. On the purchase of Alitalia, the Assembly voiced its concern about the sustainability of a C.A.I.-managed Alitalia and the unacceptable way Italian pilots are treated by the management, the Italian media and politicians. They adopted the following statement:

This ECA Conference supports the Italian pilots, represented by ANPAC and UP, in their effort to defend their dignity and union representation as professional workers in the light of the safety of flights and their social rights.

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