Legacy Carriers Sound Alarm Over Gulf Rivals' Market Gains

Europe's leading airline executives are mounting an unprecedented joint offensive against what they characterize as unfair competitive advantages enjoyed by Gulf and Turkish carriers, warning that the continent's aviation sovereignty faces existential threats from regulatory imbalances favouring state-backed rivals.

Air France-KLM CEO Benjamin Smith and Lufthansa Group CEO Carsten Spohr united in a rare joint interview to criticise what they describe as the unbridled opening of the EU aviation sector to non-European carriers, particularly those from the Middle East, arguing this has created an uneven competitive landscape. Non-European airlines now control more than half of all traffic to and from Europe, according to Smith.

The airline chiefs identified sustainable aviation fuel mandates and Russian airspace restrictions as primary competitive distortions. European regulations require SAF usage on entire journeys connecting through Paris, Amsterdam, or Frankfurt, whilst connecting flights through hubs outside the EU face no such requirements on their second leg. The combined additional cost of sustainable fuel requirements and routing around Russia represents approximately €45 per passenger on routes like Nice-

Tokyo via European hubs.

Over the past two decades, long-haul capacity offered by Europe's three major airlines has remained virtually unchanged, contrasting sharply with spectacular growth by Turkish Airlines, Qatar Airways, and Emirates. Smith noted these carriers benefited from almost total access to European markets without reciprocal domestic market opening.

The executives stopped short of requesting protectionism. Spohr emphasised that European airlines simply seek "fewer headwinds" rather than subsidies, framing the issue as one of sovereignty alongside economic competitiveness. He argued Europe's inability to defend itself or meet energy needs independently makes maintaining connectivity through European means increasingly critical.