Dear BeCA Members,
On Saturday, September 28th, EASA published Conflict Zone Information Bulletins (CZIBs) for Israel and Lebanon, recommending not to operate in both airspaces at all flight levels until October 31st or until further notice.
Since the missile strike on MH17, all pilot associations have been extremely sensitive to the risks associated with war zones, as the tragedy of the Malaysian B777 proved to the world that civil aviation can be a target or collateral damage.
EASA’s extreme passivity concerning the quality and transparency of risk assessments lasted well into September 2024. Despite the escalation of the Israeli conflict, BeCA directly questioned Ms. Kopczynska, Director of EU DG Move in charge of EASA, regarding Middle East operations.
Recent events have compelled EASA to clarify its methodology! EASA was just in time with the CZIB-publication, following last night’s missile strike on Israel. It shows the validity and importance of this document.
Our association believes that to effectively fulfil their duties as crew members, especially as Pilot in Command (PIC), flight crew must have access to transparent, high-quality, and up-to-date information to support their decision-making. Moreover, flight crew should have a clear understanding of the methodologies and content used in the company’s risk assessments. This includes information on GPS spoofing and jamming which continue to pose a significant threat in this region. Please refer to a detailed briefing on this topic recently published by the OPS Group
Operations in such areas should be conducted strictly on a voluntary basis, especially now that tensions in the region are growing by the minute. BeCA supports every member that uses the precautionary principle.
BeCA is aware of the enormous commercial and geopolitical stakes involved in this matter and does not take a position on the relevance of flights to this area. However, pilots who continue to operate these destinations must be aware that such an EASA document may invalidate all their personal insurance policies.
Our professional association will legally defend any member subject to pressure by their employer to fly to or over these destinations. Some employers still claim today that such flights are contractual, which is false and unacceptable!
The BeCA Committee