One of the most significant events in April was for me the IFALPA Annual Conference in Dublin. A genuinely interesting gathering of pilot professionals from across the world, this year’s Conference was marked by the story of personal sacrifices of Capt. John Goss.

Capt. Goss was handed the IFALPA Presidential Citation award for his outstanding work, courage and determination to improve safety and working conditions at Ryanair. For those of you who don’t know him, John has been flying for Ryanair for over 26 years and throughout his career he became an emblematic figure among Ryanair pilots. On several occasions, he was (nearly) dismissed by Ryanair but he had the courage to stand in court and fight for the rights of fair employment. The legal battles lasted several years and had a great impact on his life and the life of his family. During that time, family and friends stood by him and supported him all the way.

His speech in Dublin put the emphasis on fair working conditions for pilots in Ryanair. He highlighted the problems his colleagues face due to the recent raids of their homes by tax authorities across Europe and the rejection of Ryanair management to enter into dialogue with the Ryanair Pilot Group.

An emotional 2-minute standing ovation after his speech was followed by an even louder applause when his wife joined him to receive the award. This showed the extent to which the pilots around the world recognise the importance of his work and fight for a respectful and sustainable employment model in Ryanair.

Further, this Cockpit News brings to your attention the heated discussions about the US Administration’s plans to establish a pre-clearance facility in the United Arab Emirates. Our US colleagues - together with the US airlines - strongly oppose this decision as it threatens to undermine fair competition in the transatlantic aviation market.

Finally, closer to home, ECA is looking at the challenges ahead for the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA), 10 years after its establishment. Despite being one of the most vocal critics of EASA on its opinion on EU Flight Time Limitations, ECA will continue to strongly support the Agency in its endeavour for ever higher safety standards in Europe.

by Nico Voorbach