Raymond Benjamin, Secretary General of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) and Patrick Goudou initialled on 17 May 2013 in Cologne the Working Arrangement on Continuous Monitoring Activities between EASA and ICAO

The European Commission gave the Agency the leadership of a consortium composed of Eurocontrol, the UK CAA and DGAC France to manage the ASEAN Air Transportation Integration Project which aims at supporting the ASEAN region (10 countries of South East Asia) to develop a Single Aviation Market. The consortium met in Cologne on 7 May 2013.

From 01 June 2013 and until 31 May 2014 or the coming into force of a new Fees & Charges Regulation, all fees and changes indicated in Part I, II and III of the Annex to Regulation 593/2007, as amended, will be indexed at the rate of 2,6%. For more information please refer to the Fees & Charges Regulation page

The Management Board of the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) today announced the appointment of Mr. Patrick Ky as Executive Director of EASA with effect from 1 September 2013.

Press release

To assess the impact of the implementation of the Part-M requirements related to the Airworthiness Review process, the Agency intends to collect feedback from all affected competent authorities and stakeholders to analyse the need of further rulemaking action.

You are therefore kindly invited to submit your feedback, comments and proposals on the issues listed in the attachment to this letter by Friday, 19 October 2012 to the following email address: AR .at. easa .point. europa .point. eu.

The European Helicopter Safety Team (EHEST) today released a comprehensive Safety Management Toolkit developed with consideration to EU rules on Air Operations (Annex III, Part ORO Subpart GEN Section II Management System) which are expected be finalised later this year. The Toolkit was designed for Complex Operators and is particularly useful for those with limited experience of Safety Management Systems (SMS). It consists of a Safety Management Manual (SMM), an Emergency Response Plan (ERP) and a Safety Management Database User Guide.

The SMM is a sample manual designed to assist operators in creating their own manuals, which must be adapted to reflect individual needs, nature of operations and procedures. Since having a ERP will be required under future rules, the EHEST response plan in this Toolkit aims to help organisation to respond in the case of accidents, serious incidents or any event triggering a crisis. Finally, the Safety Management Database User Guide provides example registers of typical helicopter hazards and risks in Commercial Air Transport (CAT) operations, a unique feature provided by the EHEST for safety management purposes.

Further information on the toolkit can be found here.

The EHEST is the European branch of the International Helicopter Safety Team (IHST) and the helicopter component of the European Strategic Safety Initiative (ESSI). The EHEST is a voluntary safety partnership co-chaired by EASA, Eurocopter and the European Helicopter Operators Committee (EHOC).

The European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) published Wednesday 8 February 2012 an Airworthiness Directive to mandate a so-called High Frequency Eddy Current inspection of the wings of Airbus A380 in service.

This directive is a second interim measure to prevent any unsafe conditions following a first directive issued 3 weeks ago. Aircraft that have accumulated less than 1216 flights will have to be inspected upon accumulation of 1300 flights. Aircraft between 1216 and 1384 flights are to be inspected within six weeks of 13 February 2012. Aircraft that have completed more than 1384 flights will have to be inspected within three weeks of this date.

EASA and Airbus are working closely together to ensure the continuing safe operations of the A380 aircraft type. In accordance with EASA, Airbus has established a repair scheme if cracks are found during the inspection. In parallel EASA and Airbus are working on a long-term fix to be defined by the summer of 2012 .

EASA is offering stakeholders two Web conferences dedicated to the future rules for non-commercial air operations (OPS).

The first conference, on 29 September, focuses on Part-NCC which contains the rules for non-commercial operations of complex motor-powered aircraft. The second conference, on 30 September, focuses on Part-NCO, covering non-commercial operations of other-than-complex motor-powered aircraft. Registrations are now open and places are limited.

The Web conference on Part-NCC will take place on 29 September from 15:00 to 17:00. Further details, the Agenda and registration information can be found here.  
The Web conference on Part-NCO will take place on 30 September from 9:00 to 11:00. Further details, the Agenda and registration information can be found here.

EASA yesterday published the Comment Response Documents (CRD) containing the revised text of Part-Cabin Crew (CC) in the field of air operations and personnel. These proposals received 423 comments which the Agency has considered for the CRD.

Part-CC specifies rules for the qualification of cabin crew involved in commercial air transport operations, including a requirement to hold a valid cabin crew attestation. Part-CC will be part of a Commission Regulation on civil aviation personnel requirements, together with Part-FCL on pilot licensing and Part-MED on the medical certification of pilots and the medical fitness of cabin crew.

As jointly agreed by the Agency, the EASA Management Board and the European Commission for Notices of Proposed Amendment (NPA) related to air operations, the new method of processing comments was used for this CRD. A table provides the amended text, a summary of comments received, the Agency response and, when relevant, an indication of rule sources. Documents released also include the cover regulation with proposed transitional measures, the revised legal texts and related soft-law.

The documents can be accessed by clicking here and stakeholders have until the 7 December 2010 to send reactions via the Comment Response Tool. The Agency will take note of the reactions when developing its Opinion which is expected to be published and submitted to the European Commission during spring 2011.

EASA yesterday published the Comment Response Documents (CRDs) containing the revised text of Part-Authority Requirements (AR) and Part Organisation Requirements (OR) in the field of air operations and personnel. These proposals received over 8,400 comments which the Agency has considered for the CRDs.

The key elements of Part-AR include the oversight of all persons and organisations exercising their activity within the territory of EASA Member States, a transparent process for the approval of alternative means of compliance and the transposition of the Safety Assessment of Foreign Aircraft (SAFA) Directive for ramp inspections of aircraft operated by  European Community or by foreign operators.

Part-OR introduces common management system requirements integrating compliance monitoring and safety management provisions to ensure full compliance with the relevant ICAO standards. These can be adapted to the size of the organisation and nature and complexity of its activities. Part-OR includes organisational requirements for commercial operators, operators of complex motor-powered aircraft, approved training organisations and aero-medical centres.

Considering the volume of comments received for the three Notices of Proposed Amendment (NPA) related to operations, flight crew licensing and medical, EASA agreed with the Management Board and the European Commission on a new method of processing comments received. A summary table provides the amended text, a summary of comments received, the Agency response and, when relevant, an indication of rule sources. Documents released also include the cover regulations with proposed transition measures, the revised legal texts and related soft-law.

The documents can be accessed by clicking here and stakeholders have until the 6 December 2010 to send reactions via the Comment Response Tool. The Agency will take note of the reactions when developing its Opinion which is expected to be published and submitted to the European Commission during spring 2011.

At this pivotal time when regional partners are moving from data analysis to setting up Safety Implementation Teams to deliver and monitor real world safety interventions in their regions, this symposium provides an exciting opportunity to share experience and best practices with counterparts from around the world.

Interactive workshops will address the International Helicopter Safety Team’s four priority safety enhancement areas: Safety Management Systems, Data Monitoring, Crew Resource Management and Training. Further innovative safety initiatives will also be addressed including the ways to apply business aviation safety best practices to the helicopter world.

Registration procedure and additional information about IHSS 2010 can be accessed by clicking here

The Internal Audit Section of the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) attained in July 2010 the highest accolade possible with regard to it’s working practise, with the receipt of the Certificate of the "Institut Français de l‘Audit et du Contrôle Internes" (IFACI). EASA is the first Regulatory Agency and the first Executive Agency of the European Union to obtain the IFACI Certificate.

Patrick Goudou, EASA Executive Director declared: "This certification demonstrates the commitment of EASA’s Audit Section to the International Professional Practise Framework (IPPF) and its added value to the Agency. In addition to this, it illustrates the Agency's commitment to good governance and its drive for continuous improvement in a control environment".

The audit was performed by the IFACI, an affiliate of the Institute of Internal Auditors (IIA), over a period of a week and included an assessment of the Audit Section against each element of the standards. The approach to the testing was a combination of the European Quality Standards 45011 and the IIA’s International Standards making it a rigorous audit. This assessment was complimented with interviews of both auditees and stakeholders.

In conjunction with a positive assessment against the Standards, the auditor noted some best practices, including the presence of the Audit Section in the Integrated Management System of the Agency, the integration of the fundamentals of the International Internal Audit Framework and transparency through the Agency intranet, where the charter, procedures, and the annual audit programme are published.

EASA joins a number of large and well known organisations who have received the IFACI certification. 15 certificates have already been delivered, including seven to companies who are members of the French Stock Market index CAC40 such as France Telecom, SNCF, Total S.A. and Renault.

Child seat certified by EASA in 2006.

The most common method is the "loop belt" which is attached to the seat belt of adult holding the child on his or her lap. A number of airlines provide the option of using car child seats which are secured to an individual passenger seat.

The German Airline Association (BDF) has published a list of child seats currently accepted by its member airlines. Click here to download the list from the BDF website. EASA welcomes this initiative and encourages all European airlines to provide similar passenger information.

EASA has also certified a dedicated aircraft child seat for specific aircraft types and currently in use by one EU airline.
We encourage the development of new types of aircraft child seats/child restraint systems by aviation equipment manufacturers and welcome new certification applications.

If you want more information about flying with child seats, please inquire about the terms and conditions with your airline or travel office.

International Air Transport Association (IATA) signs pledge of commitment at the Agency's headquarters in Cologne

ECAST pledge signed by IATA Senior Vice-President Gunther Matschnigg
and EASA Executive Director Patrick Goudou on 27 June 2008.

Cologne. The European Commercial Aviation Safety Team (ECAST) achieved an important step forward, when IATA underlined its commitment to aviation safety by signing the pledge of ECAST members. ECAST is part of the European Strategic Safety Initiative (ESSI) launched by the Agency as a ten year programme to continuously enhance aviation safety in Europe.

"Organisations signing the pledge underline their willingness to maintain and enhance a high level of aviation safety in European through joint cooperation. The Agency strongly welcomes IATA's commitment to ECAST and hopes that other participating organisations will follow its example", says Patrick Goudou, EASA's Executive Director.

The first component of the European Strategic Safety Initiative (ESSI), ECAST is a voluntary partnership between EASA, non-governmental organisations, intergovernmental bodies and regulators, including national aviation authorities, and operators, research organisations, as well as aircraft and equipment manufacturers aiming at enhancing commercial aviation safety in Europe and worldwide. The group is currently elaborating guidance material for European industry to support the implementation of Safety Management Systems (SMS).

For further information, visit easa.europa.eu/essi.

The creation of the Pool of Experts is based on an initiative of the EASA/NAAs Certification Transition Working Group (ENACT) aiming at a more efficient usage of the expertise available within EASA and NAAs for performing the various European and national certification tasks.

The main purpose of the Pool of Experts is to provide assistance to NAAs where required, undertaking tasks relating to national projects for which the NAAs continue to have responsibility. Tasks performed by NAAs on behalf of EASA are not conducted through the Pool of Experts. These tasks are handled by separate individual EASA/NAA framework contracts.

Over a period of approximately one year the Pool of Experts Working Group, composed of representatives of NAAs and EASA, has established the legal, contractual, administrative and financial prerequisites for a commonly agreed, transparent and fast mutual support among NAAs in the area of product certification.

Meanwhile the NAAs of Austria, Belgium, Switzerland, Czech Republic, Germany, Spain, France, Italy, The Netherlands, Sweden and the United Kingdom have declared their will to cooperate in the Pool of Experts and nine of them have already signed the formal declaration of membership.

The photo shows the participants of the launch-meeting on 17 April and the symbolic handover of a signed declaration of membership between the chairmen of the Pool of Experts Working Group Marnix van der Heijde (CAA-NL) and Frank Steffens (EASA/NAA Relationships Section).

Discours prononce par Patrick Goudou - Parlement Europeen