Better protection for safety reporting in EU aviation

European pilots (ECA) and Air Traffic Controllers (IFATCA) welcome the draft report on Occurrence Reporting in Aviation, tabled by MEP Christine de Veyrac, rapporteur for the European Parliament’s Transport Committee. The report published today proposes concrete improvements on the provisions which ensure a confidential, non-punitive ‘Just Culture’ environment for reporting relevant air incidents.

“The rapporteur has recognised the importance of creating a solid ‘Just Culture’ framework and we warmly welcome this constructive approach”, says Alexis Brathwaite, President of IFATCA. “The precondition for achieving safety improvements in aviation is to create a sound and robust safety reporting system in which aviation professionals share openly safety information and learn pro-actively from the past. All possible safeguards should be set up to allow pilots and air traffic controllers to report without fear of prosecution or reprisals at organisational level”.

“The approach chosen by Mrs de Veyrac is in stark contrast to the position taken by the EU Transport Ministers, last June, which watered down significantly the Commission proposal,” says Nico Voorbach, ECA President. “Unlike the Council of Ministers, she has sought to strengthen the proposal by emphasizing more strongly the provisions for non-punitive mandatory and voluntary incident reporting in the EU”.

The rapporteur’s draft report also contains useful clarifications regarding the exchange of safety information and the important role of the European Aviation Safety Agency in the EU-wide new reporting system. It offers a good basis for further discussion and further improvements, in view of the EP Transport Committee vote in September.