Strike threat over Europe's skies

BRUSSELS, Belgium -- Air traffic controllers across Europe are threatening to strike in protest over the implementation of a controversial "single sky" scheme which they say threatens safety.

European Union transport ministers meet on Monday when they are expected to press ahead with the continent-wide plan which its supporters say will reduce congestion and delays for travellers.

But the ATCEUC -- an umbrella group that includes unions from Italy, France, Spain, Greece, Portugal, Switzerland, Ireland, Slovenia, Bulgaria, Croatia and Hungary -- has threatened strikes on Wednesday unless transport ministers back down.

ATCEUC secretary Joel Cariou said the plan aims to improve efficiency at the expense of safety.

"When air traffic doubles, the risk of collision is squared," he said.

The scheme involves bringing all air traffic controllers under a unified supervision so that airlines can fly routes that are not defined by European borders.

The plan's proponents say it would boost capacity by up to 50 percent, making room for more planes in the skies and at the gates.

The industrial actions will include a full-day strike in France, four hours (from 1000 to 1400 GMT) in Greece and Portugal and a one hour walkout (from 1300 to 1400 GMT) in Italy, said Cariou.

Other countries will reduce capacity or see slowdowns as a result of the knock-on effect of such widespread action.

A similar strike in France last December caused massive disruptions across Europe. (Full story)

Airlines were forced to cancel hundreds of flights that needed to land in France or fly through French airspace.

Meeting in Luxembourg, the EU ministers will also consider whether to follow the U.S. lead in extending publicly backed insurance for war and terrorism risks to airlines.

European airlines back both plans, arguing they are needed to help the industry recover from the recent slump.

"The airlines are beginning to see the prospect of growth returning to the European air travel market," Karl-Heinz Neumeister, secretary-general of the Association of European Airlines, said in a statement.

"The infrastructure must be in place to accommodate that growth."