12 December 2023: European Commissioner for Transport, Adina Vălean, sent an open letter on 6 December regarding standardised weights and dimensions for hand luggage, calling on the aviation industry as a whole for its full engagement in this standardisation process (see attached the letter, available for members only).

As a reminder, the new passenger rights proposal presented on 29 November  as part of the Passenger Mobility Package calls on air carriers to join forces with other relevant stakeholders to establish common industry standards on the weights and dimensions of hand luggage, with a view to limiting the number of different practices and enhancing the passenger travel experience across the EU passenger air services market.

In her letter, the Commissioner states that she understands that there are situations where those differences are still needed due to the variety of existing aircraft specifications (as ERA has already pointed out in its discussions with DG MOVE in recent weeks) but she is convinced that there is room for simplification and further convergence.

She also announced that she will convene a stakeholder workshop on the matter in the first half of 2024.

ERA will co-ordinate the preparation for this workshop and future discussions with DG MOVE in close collaboration with its airline members and other European airline associations.