Source: European Parliament
Priority question for written answer P-002816/2025
to the Commission
Rule 144
Rosa Serrano Sierra (S&D), Idoia Mendia (S&D), Alicia Homs Ginel (S&D)
Many airlines operating in the EU systematically subcontract flights during peak months (particularly in the summer) to low-cost carriers, who provide the aircraft and crew and are also responsible for maintenance- and insurance-related arrangements. Known as wet leasing, this practice has become standard among operators looking to cut down on labour and operating costs.
Many reports indicate that wet-lease staff are working in precarious conditions, the result of false self-employment contracts and ambiguous labour agreements which circumvent national legislation and violate European social and labour protection standards. This practice is undermining working standards in the aviation sector and fostering unfair competition among its operators.
There are also repercussions for the passengers, who pay for flights without knowing that they have been subcontracted and are not told in advance of the change in service arrangements, a state of affairs which violates their consumer rights and reduces market transparency.
In the light of the above, and of the fact that national authorities are struggling to implement EU rules:
- 1.Has the Commission detected a rise in the use of wet leasing in the EU?
- 2.What measures will it enact to close the legal loopholes that enable companies to use this practice?
- 3.Will wet leasing be addressed when Regulation (EC) No 1008/2008 is reviewed?
Submitted: 10.7.2025