In key areas of European based professional pilots’ lives, ECA has had an enormous impact. Flight Time Limitations (FTL), the rules surrounding medical and licence proficiency requirements, the development of international air transport agreements and the development of the next generation of air traffic management systems are just the tip of the iceberg.

At the end of this month ECA will have a new President; so this will be the last time my thoughts will appear in Cockpit News. For inspiration, I looked back at the minutes of a Board Meeting of 2004, just before I was elected. Although I could make the usual comments about which agenda items are still there today; what struck me most was how significantly the environment which ECA addresses has changed!

Back in 2004, EASA was excited to be contemplating their first rulemaking tasks. The Council and Parliament were seeking to agree a package which in principle sought to convert the JAA rules on air operations, operator and personnel licensing and FTL into EU Law. When this was complete, EASA was going to be given the task of administering and updating them. The Single European Sky project was in its infancy and ECA was contemplating its first definition of a strategy for SES. There were only 7 items on the agenda including whether to challenge our US based cousins, ALPA, to a sail boat race!

Today, EASA is seeking to rewrite entire regulations in areas as important and diverse as the requirements for National Aviation Authorities, medical and proficiency requirements for licence holders, air operators’ licence and operational rules; defining the safety regime for air traffic management, airports and inspections; safety management systems, FTL and Fatigue Risk Management Systems and more. Our own members also demand ECA coordinates work in improving our membership, understanding pension requirements and entitlements in different EU countries, ensures fair access to the flying on international routes both between our own airlines and with the 3rd country competitors and more. Sailboat races have long since been forgotten!

Despite the ever growing list of areas where ECA Members recognise that their interests can only be served by a strong ECA, and a natural tendency for the re-allocation of resources to lag behind the need; ECA has been successful in delivering meaningful and tangible change at European level. All the areas I have mentioned bear the hallmarks of ECA’s work; a brief exploration of our website will convince any observer of this fact.

I will hand on a strong, effective and successful ECA to the new ECA President later this month – but he or she will face still greater challenges in the coming months and years!