German pilots ground 222 flights after refusing to carry out deportations
- Carolyn Feddema
- Dec 6, 2017
- 1 min read
Through the year of 2017, German pilots have grounded 222 chartered flights to send back Afghan asylum seekers rejected by Germany.
Although Afghanistan has been deemed a “safe country of origin”, ongoing violence and oppression still exists in parts of the country. The decision not to carry passengers is ultimately made by the pilot on a case by case basis. If the pilot believes the flight safety could be affected, they can refuse to transport the passengers.
Despite the increase in deportations, Germany remains the main destination for refugees and migrants to the European Union. Germany processed more asylum applications than all 27 other EU countries combined. As Germany has stepped up deportations, the number of asylum seekers has also increased. Typically, the courts side with about one in every four asylum seekers who appeal their status. In order to reduce the number of appeals and speed up deportations, the government has even proposed a program to begin in February 2018 that would give rejected asylum seekers 3,000 euros as an incentive to accept deportation.
All of this has occurred just two years after German chancellor Angela Merkel had opened up the nation’s doors to refugees. Although the country is not ready to turn its back on refugees yet, it will be interesting to see if this policy is upheld in the near future and how it will affect Germany.
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