Environment Minister Tanchos Barna says the ministry’s blocking of Blue Air’s accounts for non-payment of fines in no way justifies the suspension of flights and calls on the company to resume flights immediately.

“This blocking of Blue Air accounts in no way justifies the immediate suspension of flights. The Ministry of Environment did not give this right to suspend air services,” the Environment Minister said in a video message posted on Facebook.

He asked Blue Air to approach the Environment Fund Administration (AFM) to resolve the situation legally and also asked for “immediate resumption of flights”.

What the Minister of Ecology said:

• “The accounts were blocked by the Environmental Fund Office because Blue Air has debts of more than 28 million lei, debts to the AFM budget.
• He was in enforcement proceedings for a very long time, in connection with which, in accordance with the law, the collection of this debt was carried out.
• The suspension of AFM accounts does not in any way justify the immediate termination of all flights of that company.
• I ask Blue Air to immediately resume flights, fulfill its obligations to passengers, fulfill its obligations to the state budget, immediately contact the AFM with a request for installments of this debt and resolve this dispute in a legal manner.
• It owes this debt to the AFM budget because it did not purchase and return greenhouse gas certificates, a company commitment, a commitment that other airlines follow.
• Once again, this suspension of accounts does not in any way justify the immediate termination of all flights.
• The Ministry of Transport, through the license issued by it, never conditioned the activity of this company in this way and never gave them the right to do such a suspension of all flights.
• I am asking Blue Air to immediately approach the AFM and resolve this dispute legally, and to resume all flights immediately and fulfill our obligations to passengers.”

Blue Air has announced that all flights operated by the company in Romania will be suspended from today until Monday, September 12. The reason: the accounts have been seized by the Ministry of Natural Resources due to non-payment of fines, and the company cannot pay its suppliers. Chaos has already been created at the Henri Coanda airport, with hundreds of people canceling their flights.