The ETF has always been very committed to work with the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA). Our representatives play an important role in the various EASA bodies and we closely watched the proposed revision of the EASA Basic Regulation which was part of the Commission ‘Aviation Strategy for Europe’.
We believe that based on their on-the-job expertise, aviation workers as an important part of the aviation industry should get a more central role in EASA. Our mission is to ensure that the rules and regulations are representative of our views protecting member’s safety and interests and to ensure commercial interests do not drive these regulations.
A new EASA Basic Regulation was approved in 2018 recasting the previous one.
The ETF welcomed the adoption of the new EASA Basic Regulation as an important step in the right direction. Some of ETF’s long-standing claims – such as the inclusion of ground handling into the scope of the Agency or the interdependence between safety and socio-economic factors – have been reflected. However, the ETF regrets the extension of the flexibility provisions to eight months thus giving too many possibilities for airlines to derogate from established rules, in particular as regards flight time limitations. So far, EASA has no experience on social issues. We therefore call on the Agency to involve social partners who can provide the unparalleled expertise of front-line staff. Over the last years, the ETF experts have provided priceless contribution to the EASA rulemaking process. We also believe that both ground handling providers and personnel should be certified in order to ensure proper compliance. We would have also welcomed more developed training standards, qualifications and quality services as a mean to reduce the staff turnover having negative effects on the aviation safety chain.
Furthermore, the ETF welcomes the transfer of responsibilities for multinational operators that requires the consent of the concerned national aviation authority. On the other hand, we regret that once again, the proposal for a full licensing of cabin crew has been left aside.