Airborne Monthly Factsheet June 2022

This factsheet outlines a summary of the distress cases witnessed in June 2022 by Sea-Watch’s Airborne Operations with the aircraft Seabird 1 and Seabird 2.(1) In June 2022 we flew in the Maltese Search-and-Rescue (SAR) zone only, conducting 12 operations with a total flight time of 69 hours and 2 minutes. We spotted 29 boats, carrying around 1.190(2) persons in distress. Unfortunately,…

Solidarity Mechanism – which Solidarity?

Today, at the meeting of EU interior ministers, a so-called Voluntary Solidarity Mechanism is to be adopted based on the proposal of the French Council Presidency. This mechanism is intended to relocate persons rescued from distress at sea from the EU’s external border countries to other European member states – without the consent of the…

Airborne Annual Report 2021

In 2021, 1.553 people drowned while attempting to cross the Mediterranean Sea from Libya to Europe. Nevertheless, the European Union and its Member States do not consider it necessary to create safe and legal escape routes. The situation in the Central Mediterranean is politically intentional and is being decided upon again every day. European migration…