In accordance with the requirements of Directive 2004/36/EC, the Commission presents its fifth annual report on the EU Safety Assessment of Foreign Aircraft (SAFA) programme. This programme requires participating States to conduct ramp inspections on third country aircraft to verify compliance of aircraft, crew and operations with international safety requirements. The report covers the period 1 January to 31 December 2010.

Progress of the programme during 2010 : a new development during 2010 was the agreement for the introduction (as of 2011) of a number of inspection points to be reached on a voluntary basis by each SAFA state. These national inspection points are calculated taking into account the diversity and volume of foreign traffic. Inspections are also valued differently pursuant to the compliance of various criteria which are directly linked to the enhancement of safety (prioritised inspection, distance from the head office, time of the inspection).

A number of initiatives started in 2007 also continued in 2010. These are the preparation by EASA of a database quality review of the reports of the participating States. Conducted on a four-monthly basis this EASA analysis attempts to identify as early as possible potentially negative safety concerns and trends in order that they may be addressed in a timely manner before becoming a threat to international aviation safety. During 2010, the Commission continued to use the conclusions of these reports to prepare its decisions on the inclusion of air carriers in the European safety list under Regulation (EC) No 2111/2005.

In addition, during the year 2010 and pursuant to the request of the Commission, EASA continued its negotiations with various aviation authorities of countries around the world with the view of enlarging the participation in the EU SAFA system.

Given the collective nature of the EU SAFA Programme, it is therefore extremely important that all SAFA inspections are done in a standardised manner in all SAFA Participating States. In 2010 EASA has pursued its Standardisation Programme in line with Commission Regulation (EC) No 736/2006. In particular, 24 audits were performed in: Albania, Austria, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Cyprus, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, FYROM, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Norway, Poland, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Turkey, Ukraine and the United Kingdom.

Lastly, as tasked under Commission Directive 2008/49/EC6, EASA continued with the review of the second set of detailed Guidance Material on Ramp Inspection Procedures which were published in 2009.

Prioritisation of inspections: Commission Regulation (EC) No 351/20087 introduces the concept of prioritisation of SAFA inspection from a pan-European perspective. Participating States are required to prioritise a portion of their ramp inspections on certain operators. During 2010, out of a total 11,703 SAFA inspections, 2,215 (18.9%) were conducted on operators indicated in the prioritisation list.

Inspections: out of 11,703 inspections, 9,798 (83.4%) were performed by EU Member States 48.8% (5,713) were performed on operators licensed in third countries while the remainder 51.2% (5,990) were conducted on EU operators. These figures highlight in particular the wide coverage of the EU SAFA programme and its non-discriminatory application on EU and non-EU operators.

Inspection findings: the average findings/inspection ratio increased by 13% in 2010. This increase appears to be a direct consequence of the legislative instruments adopted in 2008 (namely the Commission Regulation 351/2008/EC on the prioritisation of ramp inspections and Commission Directive 2008/49/EC introducing more detailed procedural elements), the publication by EASA of a very comprehensive Guidance Material and its application by the participating states as well as the launching by EASA of a SAFA Standardisation programme. All these measures have contributed to better inspections being carried out in the 42 SAFA Participating States.

The report also shows that although the average number of findings (per inspection) increased in 2010, the five-year trend is decreasing for all geographic regions. It notes that:

· operators from States in the EU, ECAC and Oceania have fewer findings per inspection than average.

· although in 2009 the average for African operators showed the greatest improvement this trend was reversed in 2010 when figures show the greatest increase for the average ratio of African operators.

Action taken pursuant to ramp inspections: the report shows that the following actions were taken:

· information to the authority & the operator: 4,108

· restriction on aircraft operation: 120

· corrective actions before flight authorisation: 1,922

· 12 aircraft were grounded, and there were no immediate operating bans, not including bans/operational restrictions imposed by the EC pursuant to Regulation (EC) No 2111/2005 EC.

The report also shows the wide coverage of the EU SAFA programme and its non- discriminatory application on EU and non-EU operators . As a result of these improvements, the programme has become a better tool to identify potential negative safety trends worldwide, contributing as well as in real-time to the safe operation of the inspected aircraft.

The results of EASA regular analysis on the reports showing serious safety deficiencies or persistent failure by the carrier to address deficiencies identified by ramp inspections performed under the SAFA programme continued to be used by the Commission for the preparation during 2010 of the Community list of air carriers subject to an operating ban within the Community as provided for under Regulation (EC) No 2111/2005.

COM(2012)0091
EUR-Lex

EUR-Lex
SWD(2012)0038

This is the fourth annual report on the EU Safety Assessment of Foreign Aircraft (SAFA) programme covering the period 01 January to 31 December 2009.

Ever since its inception under the auspices of the European Civil Aviation Conference (ECAC) in association with the Joint Aviation Authorities (JAA) back in 1996, the SAFA programme has increasingly proven to be a vanguard in enhancing European, and indeed international, aviation safety.

Within the framework of the Community's overall strategy to establish and maintain a high uniform level of civil aviation safety in Europe, on 21 April 2004 the Community adopted Directive 2004/36/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council on the safety of third-country aircraft using Community airports (the so-called 'SAFA Directive'). This Directive introduced a legal obligation upon EU Member States to perform ramp inspections upon third country aircraft landing at their airports. In addition and following a decision by the Directors General of ECAC member states, the SAFA programme was transferred under European Community competence where as of 1 January 2007, responsibility for the management and further development of the EU SAFA programme falls upon the European Commission assisted by the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA). EASA is a European Commission agency based in Cologne which is responsible for the operational management of the EU SAFA programme. Until 2006 the operational elements of the SAFA programme were implemented by the Central Joint Aviation Authorities (CJAA). At the end of 2006 the SAFA coordination activities including the centralised database have been transferred from CJA A to EASA. The continued participation of the fifteen non-EU ECAC Member States, and thus the pan-European dimension of the programme, has been assured through the signature of a Working Arrangement between each of these individual States and EASA. Including the EU-27 therefore, the EU-SAFA programme boasts a total of 42 participating States.

This report constitutes a clear evidence of EU's efforts in making European skier safer. The main findings are as follows:

Progress of the programme during 2009 : during 2009, efforts were also undertaken to improve the functioning of the EU SAFA programme , in particular through the: (i) issuing and publication of a second set of detailed Guidance Material on Ramp Inspection Procedures; (ii) continuation of a number of initiatives started in 2007, for example the database quality review of reports entered by participating States in the SAFA database and the database analysis; (iii) opening of negotiations with various aviation authorities around the world aiming at enlarging the participation in the EU SAFA programme while maintaining a high level of standardisation and harmonisation; (iv) starting a Standardisation programme to ensure that all SAFA inspections are done in a standardised manner in all SAFA participating States.

Introduction of a risk-based approach : Commission Regulation (EC) No 351/2008 introduces the concept of prioritisation of SAFA inspection from a pan-European perspective whereby participating States are required to prioritise a portion of their ramp inspections on certain subjects (either operators or all the operators certified in a certain state).

The prioritisation list is compiled by the European Commission and updated regularly whenever the need arises according to the set of criteria established under the said Regulation.

During 2009, out of a total 11 349 SAFA inspections, 2253 (19.85%) were conducted on subjects indicated in the prioritisation list.

Inspections : during 2009 a record number of inspections has been reached and covered a higher number of operators when compared to previous years. Out of 11 349 inspections, 9462 (83.4%) were performed by EU member states. 47.9% (5432) were performed on operators licensed in third countries while the remainder 52.1% (5917) were conducted on EU operators.

As a result, the programme has become a better tool to identify potential negative safety trends worldwide, contributing as well as in real-time to the safe operation of the inspected aircraft.

Inspection findings and their categories : the five years evolution shows that the average number of findings (per inspection) has decreased for all geographic regions:

operators from States in the EU, ECAC and Oceania have fewer findings per inspection than average; for all regions the ratio Findings/Inspections shows an improvement. Although the ESAF region appears to have the largest improvement this is caused by the fact that more than half of the inspections on operators from this region were carried on the Angolan carrier TAAG (163 inspections). TAAG was included in 2007 in the Community list of banned carriers. In 2009 TAAG was allowed to partially restart the operations into the European Union (with specific aircraft and only to Lisbon, Portugal) under the condition that every flight should be inspected by the Portuguese authorities; the ratio Findings/Inspections shows the greatest improvement for the African region, although this is influenced by the very high number of inspections (163) on the Angolan carrier TAAG; those inspections were imposed after the partial removal of this carrier from the Community List of banned carriers; operators from States belonging to the EUR (European and North Atlantic) have fewer findings per inspection than average; operators from States belonging to the MID (Middle East), SAM (South America), WACAF (Western and Central Africa), NACC (North Amercia, Central Amercia and the Caribbean), APAC (Asian and Pacific) and ESAF (Eastern and Souther Africa) have more findings per inspection than average.

Actions taken pursuant to ramp inspections : based on the category, number and nature of the findings, several actions may be taken.

Out of 11 349 inspections carried out in 2009, the report notes 95 restrictions on aircraft operations, 1358 corrective actions before flight authorisation and 10 aircraft grounded as well as 1 immediate operating ban.

COM(2011)0159
EUR-Lex

SEC(2011)0301
EUR-Lex

SEC(2009)1576
EUR-Lex

The Commission presents this third annual report on the EC SAFA Programme pursuant to the provisions of Directive 2004/36/EC. The report covers the period 01 January to 31 December 2008.

To recall, Directive 2004/36/EC on the safety of third-country aircraft using Community airports (the 'SAFA Directive') created a legal obligation upon EU Member States to perform ramp inspections upon third country aircraft landing at their airports, although the Directive does not in any way prohibit EU Member States from inspecting aircraft from other EU Member States. Including the EU-27, the EC-SAFA programme boasts a total of 42 participating States.

The main points dealt with in this report are as follows:

Development of the programme in 2008 : the Commission adopted two important legislative measures aimed at further strengthening the EC SAFA Programme:

Commission Directive 2008/49/EC containing the core elements of the SAFA Procedures Manual and providing for harmonised rules for the conduct of SAFA inspections including: follow-up actions, mandatory reporting timeframe (15 working days) and the mandatory communication of the results of the inspection to the inspected operators through the delivery of a Proof of Inspection according to a common format. In addition, the Directive introduces a common set of criteria for the qualification of SAFA inspectors; Commission Regulation (EC) No 351/2008 implementing a structured, pan- European approach to the prioritisation of SAFA ramp inspections on potentially unsafe subjects, aimed at fostering a better utilisation of the available inspecting resources. As required under Commission Directive 2008/49/EC, the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) has issued detailed Guidance Material for the qualification SAFA ramp inspectors setting standards which are common across all participating States.

A number of initiatives started in 2007 have continued in 2008, becoming regular standard activities under the EC SAFA Programme, such as the quality review of reports entered by participating States in the SAFA database and the database analysis. Conducted on a four-monthly basis, this analysis attempts to identify as early as possible potentially negative safety concerns and trends in order that they may be addressed in a timely manner before indeed becoming a threat to international aviation safety. In October 2008 a major upgrade of the SAFA database was deployed, allowing for improved reporting, support for monitoring of the prioritisation process (established under Commission Regulation (EC) No 351/2008) and improved workflows.

Introduction of a risk-based approach : Commission Regulation (EC) No 351/2008 introduces the concept of prioritisation of SAFA inspection from a pan-European perspective whereby participating States are required to prioritise a portion of their ramp inspections on certain subjects (either individual operators or all the operators certified in a certain state). The prioritisation list is compiled by the European Commission and updated whenever the need arises according to the set of criteria established under the said Regulation. The first prioritisation list was issued on 20 April 2008 and was subsequently reviewed twice during that same year. During 2008, out of a total 10,337 SAFA inspections 1,481 were conducted on subjects indicated in the prioritisation list.

Inspections: in 2008 the SAFA Participating States performed a record 10,337 inspections which revealed some 11,298 findings. The report describes the areas of inspection under the SAFA Directive and lists the states of operator, aircraft types and operators inspected during the year 2008. It highlights the wide coverage of the EC SAFA Programme and its non-discriminatory application. Out of the 10,337 inspections conducted during 2008, 9,040 were performed by EU Member States: 42.7% (3,857) were performed on operators certified in third (non-EU) countries while the remaining 57.3% (5,183) were conducted on EU operators. In 2008, third country operators performed some 700,000 landings in the Community airports implying an inspection rate of approximately 0.5% (i.e. 5 inspections for every 1,000 landings). Landings of EU operators in another EU state (other than the one responsible for their safety oversight) amounted to more than 2,900,000, implying an inspection rate of 0.17% for EU operators.

Findings : the report discusses the three categories of findings. A “Category 1” finding (minor); “Category 2” (significant finding) and “Category 3” (a major finding). For 2008, 18.46% of findings were category 3. Operators from States in the EU, the European Civil Aviation Conference (ECAC) and Oceania have fewer findings per inspection than average. Operators from Africa, the Russian Federation/Belarus/Central Asia group, Asia, the Middle East, North America and North Africa have more findings per inspection than average. The five years evolution shows that the average number of findings (per inspection) has decreased for almost all geographic regions, most notably for operators licensed in the Russian Federation, Belarus and Central Asian states (CIS). The only exception is Latin America and Caribbean (LAC).

Action : the report describes the actions that may be taken after ramp inspection. In order to achieve best the objectives of the EC SAFA Programme, close cooperation with the Civil Aviation Authorities of all those States whose operators and aircraft have been subject of SAFA inspections is imperative. Out of 10,337 in 2008, there were 11,298 findings. There were 109 restrictions on aircraft operation, and 1407 corrective actions before flight authorisation. 14 aircraft were grounded and an immediate operating ban was introduced on 10 occasions. This number does not include bans/operational restrictions imposed by the EC pursuant to Regulation (EC) No 2111/2005.

COM(2009)0627
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C(2008)5265

SEC(2008)2484
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ACT: Commission Regulation 768/2006/EC implementing Directive 2004/36/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council as regards the collection and exchange of information on the safety of aircraft using Community airports and the management of the information system.

CONTENT: this Commission implementing Regulation has been enacted in accordance with provisions spelt out in Directive 2004/36/EC. To recap, Directive 2004/36/EC introduces a harmonised approach for the effective enforcement of international safety standards within the Community. It does so by harmonising the rules and procedures for ramp inspection of third-country aircraft landing at airports located in the Member States. Member States are required to undertake ramp inspections of third-country aircraft suspected of non-compliance with international safety standards and to exchange information relating to these inspections.

Until now, Member States have discharged their obligations through the “Safety Assessment of Foreign Aircraft” or SAFA, which is managed by the Joint Aviation Authorities (JAA). The management of SAFA entails overseeing the database as well as offering training to inspectors and personnel.

The purpose of this implementing Regulation is to transfer responsibility for managing SAFA from the JAA to the European Aviation Safety Agency. Such a move should contribute to strengthening the programme as well as guaranteeing its long-term continuation.

To this end, the following provisions apply:

- the Community SAFA system refers to the one set up by Directive 2004/36 for the collection, exchange and analysis of information on air safety of aircraft and of air operators;

- the European Aviation Safety Agency will manage and operate SAFA. Management obligations include, inter alia , organising information provided by third countries or international organisations, collecting data from the Member States, updating the existing databases, advising the Commission and Member States on the need for immediate actions and reporting potential safety problems to the Commission and Member States;

- the Member States must enter all of their ramp inspection reports, (including those not required under Directive 2004/36) into a centralised data base;

- the Agency will prepare a manual of ramp inspection procedures; it will develop training programmes relating to SAFA and it will facilitate and co-ordinate inspector exchange programmes;

- annually, the Agency must prepare a report on the Community SAFA system.

ENTRY INTO FORCE: 9 June 2006.

32006R0768
OJ L 134 20.05.2006, p. 0016-0018

Directive 2004/36
OJ L 143 30.04.2004, p. 0076-0086

T5-0261/2004
OJ C 103 29.04.2004, p. 0680-0788 E

T5-0261/2004

Debate in Parliament

3616/2004

3616/2004

A5-0125/2004

A5-0125/2004

COM(2003)0674
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T5-0422/2003

A5-0301/2003

A5-0301/2003

SEC(2003)0717
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08478/1/2003
OJ C 233 30.09.2003, p. 0012-0023 E

08478/1/2003

10068/2003

COM(2002)0664
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COM(2002)0664
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T5-0395/2002
OJ C 272 13.11.2003, p. 0031-0343 E

Debate in Parliament

T5-0395/2002

CES0841/2002
OJ C 241 07.10.2002, p. 0033

A5-0265/2002

A5-0265/2002

COM(2002)0008
EUR-Lex
OJ C 103 30.04.2002, p. 0351 E

COM(2002)0008
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