EASA has published new guidelines for air operators on the role of operator’s management system in the COVID-19 recovery phase.
A team of experts from EASA, industry representatives and national authorities worked together to develop a document aimed at supporting air operators in identifying the safety threats associated with their return to normal operation.
The operators’ management system needs to be robust and resilient in order to identify and mitigate risks generated by COVID-19. It highlights the importance of:
- The safety risk management process;
- The compliance monitoring function;
- The safety performance monitoring and measurement;
- The management of changes.
The document further focuses on operational and airworthiness aspects, taking into consideration organisational and human factor elements.
The guidelines are the core document and they will be complemented by a number of annexes describing practical safety scenarios with hazards, consequences and possible mitigations. These scenarios contained in the annexes are currently being developed, taking also into account relevant safety issues outlined in the Agency COVID-19 Risk Portfolio, and will be published individually as they become available.
