SMS - Europe

Safety Management at the Member State level

ICAO has mandated that all Contracting States (and therefore also EASA Member States) implement an SSP while organisations in the Member States are required to establish an SMS. Both elements are complementary.

Safety Management at the EU level

The first EASA SSP/SMS requirements have been adopted in the form of authority and organisation requirements with Regulation (EU) 290/2012 in the domain of flight and cabin crew and Regulation (EU) 965/2012 in the domain of air operations. Requirements have been progressively extended to other domains of the aviation system, such as ATM and Aerodromes and they will also be incorporated in Initial and Continuous Airworthiness. The current status on SMS rulemaking activities can be found here.

The utilization of data for decision-making is crucial for the implementation of safety management. Several EU initiatives contribute to this objective:

  • The European Operators Flight Data Monitoring Forum (EOFDM) provides a voluntary partnership between aircraft operators and the Agency in order to promote the implementation of FDM programmes and to help operators to get the maximum safety benefit from such programmes. 
  • An expert group of authorities is dedicated to the promotion of Flight Data Monitoring, the European Authorities Coordination Group on Flight Data Monitoring (EAFDM).
  • A Data4Safety Programme aims at changing from the current reactive approach to safety – which is based on accident and occurrence reports – to a proactive approach, analysing trends and situations which can lead to a safety hazard. Stakeholders within the aviation community will share data, information and knowledge in order to deliver safety benefits.

Additionally to the above, Industry organisations, Member States, EASA and the European Commission, have taken a proactive approach and worked collaboratively to develop the European Aviation Safety Programme (EASP). The EASP aids Member States in meeting their legal obligations and further improving safety.

The EASP

The EASP (European Aviation Safety Programme) describes the EU aviation safety management system, which is based on close collaboration between the Commission, EASA, the Member States, as well as the aviation industry. It is structured in accordance with the State Safety Programme (SSP) components set out in ICAO Annex 19 ‘Safety Management’. Developing an EU equivalent SSP document (i.e. the EASP) supports the EU Member States and associated States in developing their own SSPs.

The latest edition of the EASP, available in all official EU languages, also supports the promotion of the EU aviation safety system and its regional approach to safety management.

The EPAS

The EASP is complemented by a set of safety risk portfolios describing key risks and safety issues and a related action plan, the European Plan for Aviation Safety (EPAS).  You can find more information on our EPAS page.

The Safety Management TeB

Since October 2016, one of the technical bodies that are part of the new advisory structure of the Agency, the SM TeB, is dedicated to address SSP and EPAS implementation issues and exchange information with States by:

  • Supporting them with the implementation and maintenance of their SSPs;
  • Providing input and feedback on the implementation of the EPAS;
  • Providing recommendations to EASA and the European Commission on further actions required to support SSP/EPAS implementation;
  • Addressing issues stemming from the standardisation activities; and,
  • Discussing and providing recommendations where action is required on safety management implementation and implementation issues in relation to Regulation 376/2014 (in cooperation with the Network of Analysts).

All EASA Member States as well as observers are part of the SM TeB.