POLITICS I can see unlimited possibilities for a bright, safe and secure future, for both our industry and BALPA Aviation and politics: landing BALPAs interests in government Safety always comes first when it comes to flying By Lord Balfe, BALPA Honorary President ince its foundation in the 1930s, BALPA has maintained a consistent line of working with all political parties. A unique part of that is that BALPAs honorary officers are always members of the House of Lords. I was pleased some years ago to be asked to be vice-president to John Monks, and happy to succeed him as president. My own background included many years in AUEW (TASS), a union of highly skilled staff, as well as being a Member of the European Parliament between 1979 and 2004. Now, with Lord Larry Whitty as my vice-president, the essence of our approach is to at all times remember the BALPA strapline: Every flight a safe flight. Our job is to represent the interests of BALPA to government. As peers, we have unique access and opportunities to impress BALPAs interests on ministers, as well as within parliament, to ensure that focus is always on legitimate interests of the union. We stay well away from political infighting. Safety first BALPA works within the industry to make every flight safe, and takes pride in making all passengers feel safe. As we often reflect in meetings and private discussions with ministers, we all have the same objectives. We ask ministers to recognise the highly skilled nature of a pilots work and the legitimate demands they make for good pay and working conditions as a reward for their many years of study and heavy responsibilities. We are now finding that some of the decisions taken during the COVID pandemic were to put it mildly unfortunate. The airlines have to rebuild the trust needed between good employers and their staff. The reality is that flying is going to develop and be an important part of travel in future. Although attention is often directed to environmental factors, the industry has a good record of cutting both noise and pollution. The challenges of the years ahead will be considerable and, as I look back to what flying was like when I first boarded an aircraft in 1950, I can see unlimited possibilities for a bright, safe and secure future, for both our industry and BALPA. I am as proud to represent BALPA in the House of Lords as I am sure all our members are when they don their uniforms and head off to make their next and every flight a safe flight.