Confinement and changes in the working conditions and availability of employees, combined with the additional workload required to manage the significant negative consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic on all stakeholders, have severely limited the ability of Member States and the aviation industry to prepare for the application of a number of recently adopted Implementing Regulations in the field of aviation safety.
In the light of this situation, Member States will not be able to apply the new requirements for alcohol testing, peer support programmes, and psychological assessments of pilots introduced by Commission Regulation (EU) 2018/1042 by the set deadline of August 14, 2020. Establishing compliance with these new requirements could hinder aircraft operators from resuming their flights as needed for a quick recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic.
In response to this situation, Commission Regulation 2020/745 published on June 4, 2020 defers the date of application of these requirements by six months, to February 14, 2021. This deferral is judged to have no detrimental effect on aviation safety.
As regards support programmes, although mandatory requirements will apply only as of February 14, 2021, EASA recommends that aircraft operators maintain their implementation efforts, so to allow their crews access to such programmes as soon as possible. This is especially important due to the additional pressure on crews as a result of the COVIO-19 crisis.
