ECA Position: Prevention & Prosecution of Unruly Passengers

Considering the ever-increasing number and degree of severity of incidents involving unruly passengers on board aircraft worldwide, ECA believes that the reaction of the authorities seems lukewarm. In many cases, although unruly passengers had already shown distinctive or deviant behaviour during the period before boarding an aircraft, no appropriate actions are taken on the ground and the unruly passenger is allowed to board the aircraft. In its position paper, ECA gives a number of concrete recommendation and practical steps to help tackle this issue. Read more here: http://bit.ly/2o1ENaU

Background checks for pilots

According to EU legislation, very crew member must undergo a background check every now and then, including criminal records. However, it has come to ECA’s attention that, in some states, pilots could be denied work as flight crew members because the state does not have sufficient intelligence information on them. This is not an acceptable situation: The lack of intelligence information should never be a reason for the rejection of background checks. Read more here: http://bit.ly/2EYDlhK

See also IFALPA’s position: http://bit.ly/2nY6L7w

EU reaches a long-awaited deal on drone rules

During the revision process of EASA founding texts, the EU suggested to introduce mandatory registration and individual marking for drones that can transfer more than 80 Joules of kinetic energy in case of impact. If this proposal is confirmed, it will be the first legal framework for drones in Europe. The procedure is expected to be completed in spring 2018, with the new EASA Regulation applying as of late 2019 or 2020.

Source: http://bit.ly/2G8sFMG

European Action Plan for the Prevention of Runway Incursions, version 3

In November 2017, Eurocontrol published the 3rd version of its so-called EAPPRI, a guide aimed at helping prevent runway incursions. Runway incursions remain a significant safety concern and we are therefore committed to implement the recommendations laid down in this document. Please have a look at it here: http://bit.ly/2BTyW0X

Becoming a pilot – Good or bad career choice?

Glamorous, challenging, rewarding, inspiring… The job of a commercial airline pilot is often described with an unending string of superlatives. While the pilot profession still continues to be one of the most attractive and challenging jobs, it has certainly lost some of its glory, the job market has changed, and pilot training has become a substantial financial investment. This is why ECA, our European association, launched a new website – http://www.becomingapilot.eu – in order to help young aspiring pilots and their parents make an informed decision about this career option. Share widely!

EASA Practical Guide on New Business Models Hazards

With the development of new business models by some commercial air transport operators, some questions arose regarding potential new hazards and risks these business models could carry. The European Aviation Safety Agency therefore created a working group composed of representatives from major airlines, as well as a representative from ECA, our European association, to assess these hazards.

The group assessed how the operator’s management system can capture new hazards introduced by the following:

• outsourcing of safety critical services,
• leasing agreements,
• interoperability, where several AOC holders belong to the same parent company or holding,
• different employment models within an individual operator,
• increased mobility & turnover of pilots.

The outcome was the publication of a practical guide containing recommended practices: http://bit.ly/2CfdC1u