What is behind the cancellation of dozens of TAROM flights? A new episode of chaos in Otopeni

The TAROM flight to Amman, Jordan, scheduled for 00:45 on July 8, was suddenly cancelled without explanation, leaving passengers stranded at the airport. This was the first in a series of events that have disrupted Bucharest airport again.

Another 15 TAROM flights have been cancelled, according to Flight Radar data. The cause is an undeclared strike by flight personnel, which has seriously affected thousands of the airline’s customers.

This is the third major crisis to hit Otopeni airport in less than two weeks, following the breakdown of the air conditioning system and baggage conveyor belts.

Sorin Grindeanu, the minister in charge, has no solution to the serious problems affecting the air transport sector in Romania.

“…TAROM announces the cancellation of some flights on July 8, 2024, due to the temporary unavailability of flight crew members,” the company said in a statement.

“In accordance with international aviation regulations and strict internal flight safety policies, each of the respective flights was cancelled as a crew member of each aircraft reported “, specified the management of TAROM.

“The individual decisions of the pilots were taken in accordance with the regulations in force to ensure the safety and comfort of the passengers and the crew,” the statement also states.

A paradoxical situation

In reality, the passengers were forced to endure a spontaneous strike by pilots who were unhappy with their wages.

To operate an aircraft continuously, a company needs five full crews who work in a rhythmic manner, respecting rest periods, days off, public holidays and, if necessary, sick leave, explained to TAROM an industry expert familiar with the situation who wished to remain anonymous. spotmedia.ro.

“TAROM is far from this ideal,” the specialist added.

The company finds itself in a paradoxical situation. It has started to attract passengers and requests for tickets for regular and charter flights for travel agencies, but it is facing a serious personnel crisis.

You filled TAROM with cronies and incompetents and then covered the losses with taxpayers’ money. All that’s left is a tragedy to top it all off.

Comment on the Facebook page of Minister Sorin Grindeanu

“I believe that the pilots chose an opportune moment, the holiday period, and pushed for salary increases to be negotiated,” explained the expert consulted by spotmedia.ro.

At the end of April, the European Commission approved aid of 95.3 million euros to TAROM to restructure the company, but the implementation of the restructuring plan led to the crisis of 8 July.

“The aid contributes to the common objective of ensuring regional connectivity for Romanian citizens and businesses, enabling TAROM to restore its viability by implementing its restructuring plan,” announced the European Commission representatives when approving the significant financial assistance.

The funds were conditioned on the restructuring of the company and the acquisition of new aircraft to renew the TAROM fleet, but the revival process went awry as the Ministry of Transport was unable to implement it.

The failure of restructuring

TAROM has a long history of corruption, nepotism and political affiliations.

Nine years ago, a TAROM director publicly stated that 40% of the company’s employees were his family members. This information shocked public opinion. It was not denied and the measures taken subsequently failed to rectify TAROM’s situation, leading to an even more serious crisis.

“The procedures within the company are terrible, the processes are confusing, there are structures that simply do not know what to do, there are parallel structures that deal with the same tasks, even in the area of ​​purchasing. In the IT department, there are four parallel structures that do not know each other and, worse, that interfere with each other,” said Tiberiu Țiclea, TAROM’s administrative director at the time.

Shortly after the European Commission approved the aid, Transport Minister Sorin Grindeanu announced that TAROM’s restructuring would result in the layoffs of at least half of its employees.

“A company of the size of TAROM, which is based on sound economic principles, normally has between 500 and 600 employees, 90% of whom are sailors. We have double that number,” the minister said, according to Agerpres.

“With this help from the European Commission, we have to enter a restructuring phase, and we are open to any proposal that will allow TAROM to be established on sound economic principles. (…) We are looking to save this company, to find any solution, including partnerships that would lead to this happy scenario. We have been looking for this, even when I was with the Prime Minister in the Gulf area… We have a joint committee in Bucharest and we are trying to find solutions for TAROM,” Sorin Grindeanu added, quoted by the source.

However, neither the minister nor Marcel Ciolacu, mentioned by the official in the statement, have found solutions for the restructuring of the company, thus bringing it back to a major impasse.

A long way to go from words to actions

About 2,000 passengers were affected by the 16 cancelled flights, resulting in a loss for the company of more than $1 million, according to a calculation of compensation that the company is expected to pay to those affected by the flight cancellations.

Romania is paralyzed in terms of transport… Why does this ministry still exist if no one recognizes your authority? We are too tolerant a people to endure these humiliations. We are becoming the shame of Europe

Comment on the Facebook page of Minister Sorin Grindeanu

The bankruptcy of TAROM would be a political disaster for the PSD. Marcel Ciolacu and Sorin Grindeanu, the party’s leaders, have repeatedly promised to save the company, but it will take time to turn words into actions.

“I have asked the TAROM management to take urgent measures in the face of the current situation! The management team, selected in accordance with the Ordinance on Corporate Management, has all the legal levers to take the necessary administrative decisions to avoid such blockages and prevent their recurrence,” Sorin Grindeanu reacted to the new crisis at Otopeni Airport.

On July 8, thousands of passengers suddenly found themselves faced with the cancellation of their flights without notice.

TAROM pilots refused to take off, taking the opportunity to declare themselves unfit to fly, forcing the company’s management to negotiate pay increases under pressure.

After 3:00 p.m., flights resumed their schedules but were experiencing significant delays due to the initial cancellations.

In search of miracle solutions

Sorin Grindeanu urged the company’s management to respond to the crew’s demands and begin layoffs in other departments of the company.

However, this is a complex process, as part of the flight crew has influence in other areas through the “family ties” mentioned by the former director of TAROM.

“Thousands of people are affected, some are losing their connections. There is general chaos in Otopeni and no measures have been announced, just words. It is you who have put accomplices in TAROM,” wrote a disgruntled person on Minister Grindeanu’s Facebook page.

The crisis in Romanian air transport has already affected hundreds of thousands of passengers in recent times, although we have not yet reached the peak of demand for infrastructure, being only in the first half of summer.

Sorin Grindeanu was not prepared for such a situation and is now looking for miraculous solutions, putting pressure on the management of Otopeni Airport and TAROM, which have proven to be overwhelmed and dysfunctional.