Have you ever wondered which airlines from outside the European Union (EU) are allowed to fly to EU airports? And what standards they have to meet to be able to operate in Europe? This is another activity for EASA – making sure that the airlines that fly here are offering a safe service to European citizens.
EU Airlines must comply with the highest safety standards that are set out by EU safety regulations. Airlines from outside the EU, that are authorised to operate flights into, within or out of Europe cannot be required to comply with EU standards, but must demonstrate compliance with applicable international standards that are established by the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO). EASA carries out inspections in all European Union Member States and checks also the safety of non-European air carriers wanting to operate in Europe to ensure they are safe for you to fly with them.
These "foreign" airlines are referred to by EASA as “Third Country Operators” and they need to have a Third Country Operator Authorisation issued by the Agency to fly commercially into, within or out of any of the EASA Member States (the 27 European Union countries and the 4 EFTA states: Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, and Switzerland). Third Country Operators do not need such authorisation if they only overfly these areas without intention to land.
This centrally issued authorisation makes it easier for these operators as they do not have to apply for an authorisation in every individual EASA Member State. At the same time, it ensures common standards of safety among all EASA Member States.
There are some EU territories where a third country operator can fly without holding a Third Country Operator authorisation. In this case, the authorisation remains the responsibility of either the local authority or the National Aviation Authority of an EU Member State. This is the case for territories where EU Regulations does not apply in accordance with the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union.
EU territories where an EASA Third Country Operator Authorisation is needed: Åland Islands, Azores, Madeira, Canary Islands, Guadeloupe, French Guiana, Martinique, Réunion, Saint-Martin, Mayotte.
EU territories where an EASA Third Country Operator Authorisation is not needed: Greenland and Faroe Islands, French Polynesia, French Southern & Antarctic Territories, New Caledonia and Dependencies, Wallis and Futuna Islands, Saint Pierre and Miquelon, Aruba, Bonaire, Curaçao, Saba, Saint-Barthélemy, Saint Eustatius, Sint Maarten (part of the island that forms part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands.
Some flights are exempted from a Third Country Operator Authorisation
The following types of fights in and out of the EASA Member States can be performed upon notification to EASA without holding a Third Country Operator Authorisation:
- flights that are performed in the public interest, to address an urgent need, such as humanitarian missions and disaster relief operations; and
- air ambulance flights that are performed to move sick or injured patients between healthcare facilities or deliver patient medical care.
How is EASA ensuring that these Thirds Country Operators are safe?
EASA employs a risk-based approach for Third Country Operators’ assessments which is based on the continuous analysis of credible safety data. The level of assessment undertaken depends on various factors.
Where EASA has a high confidence level in a foreign operator’s safety performance, backed up by a substantial volume of credible safety data for the operator and State of certification, only a limited assessment is needed.
However when EASA’s confidence in a foreign operator’s safety performance is lower, or only a small volume of credible data available from the operator or the State in which the operator is certified, a far more comprehensive assessment is required.
When a more intensive assessment is needed, the operator needs to submit additional documents, files, and records. Where necessary, EASA will invite operators for technical meetings at the EASA Headquarters in Cologne, or EASA performs on-site assessments at the operator’s headquarters.
Once the assessment has been successfully completed, EASA validates the foreign Air Operator Certificate by issuing an EASA Third Country Operator Authorisation accompanied by “Technical Specifications”, which defines the scope of operations that this operator is authorised to be performed under its Third Country Operator Authorisation.
All Third Country Operator Authorisation holders are subject to continuous monitoring of their safety performance, which includes periodic reviews performed by EASA, at regular intervals between 12 and 48 months. The interval is risk-based and highly influenced by the exposure of the operator to EU citizens in terms of traffic numbers and size of aircraft.
In the presence of significant non-compliance findings with international standards, or when there is verifiable evidence that the competent authority of an operator is not capable of executing adequate oversight, EASA may decide to limit, suspend or revoke the Third Country Operator Authorisation. In the absence of such valid authorization, EU Member States may not grant entry permit to foreign operators.
The list of Third Country Operator holders is updated on a daily basis.
RAMP Inspections and Third Country Operators
Third Country Operators are subject to RAMP inspections under the EU RAMP inspection programme – commonly referred to as SAFA (Safety Assessment of Foreign Aircraft) inspections. Besides the EASA Member States, a further 20 States from all continents participate in the EU RAMP inspection programme.
RAMP (a synonym for platform or apron at the airport) refers to the fact that those inspections are performed on the RAMP immediately following the arrival and/or just before departure of an aircraft. The inspection may verify pilots’ licenses, procedures and manuals carried in the cockpit, compliance with these procedures by flight and cabin crew, safety equipment in cockpit and cabin, cargo carried in the aircraft and the technical condition of the aircraft.
EASA is responsible for coordinating the EU RAMP inspection programme and also inspects the participating states to ensure a standardised implementation of the Programme. The RAMP inspections themselves are conducted by authorised RAMP inspectors of the national aviation authorities in the participating states.
In the case of significant non-compliances with safety requirements, the operator, and the appropriate aviation authority (State of Operator or State of Registry) are contacted to take necessary corrective measures. In rare cases, RAMP inspectors are empowered to ground an aircraft, for example, in the case an immediate repair needs to be performed in the interest of flight safety. All data from the reports are shared and centralised in a database set up and managed by EASA.
The results of the SAFA programme are an important parameter for the risk-based monitoring of Third Country Operators, and the results are regularly shared with the European Commission as an input into the Air Safety Committee.
You can read more on Ramp Inspections on EASA Pro (English only).
The EU "Air Safety List"
You may have heard that some airlines are banned from operating in Europe: in other words, they have been placed on the EU Air Safety List. The EU Air Safety List is not under EASA’s responsibility, it is governed by the European Commission (DG Move).
The EU Air Safety List is a list of commercial air carriers (passengers and cargo) that either do not meet international safety standards or are certified in States which are lacking certification standards and/or oversight performance by competent authorities. The carriers on the EU Air Safety List are banned from operating into, within and out of the EU – including overflying. Carriers that do not operate to the EU can also be put on this List, in order to protect the public travelling outside the EU about existing safety concerns.
To develop this Safety List, the Commission is assisted by the EU Air Safety Committee, which comprises aviation safety experts from all the EU Member States. It is chaired by the European Commission and all EU Member States and EASA are obliged to communicate information that may be relevant for the update of the EU Air Safety List to the European Commission. The results of EASA’s Third Country Authorisation process and results of RAMP inspections are important elements for the EU Air Safety List.
Check the full list: The EU Air Safety List - European Commission
The Third Country Operator Authorisation process and the EU Air Safety List
EASA and the European Commission maintain a continuous dialogue to ensure that the EU Air Safety List mechanism and the Third Country Operator Authorisation process are kept coherent and aligned at all times. Where appropriate, EASA and the European Commission perform joint missions to assess compliance with applicable safety standards and the effectiveness of authority oversight performed.
EASA can take enforcement measures on Third Country Operator Authorisation holders independently from the EU Safety List. EASA may however not issue a Third Country Operator Authorisation to an operator that is currently listed in the EU Safety List.
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