The safe and efficient co-existence of manned and unmanned aircraft in the airspace is one of the major challenges in aviation for the next decades. The rapid growth in Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS), civil and military, has increased the demand for access to non-segregated airspace. 

While in general ECA endorses EBT and the principle of ‘less checking more training’ a cautious approach to the implementation of EBT is crucial, while keeping in mind several essential safeguards. 

SORA (Specific Operations Risk Assessment) is a multi-stage process of risk assessment aiming at risk analysis of certain unmanned aircraft operations, as well as defining necessary mitigations and robustness levels.

There is no issue with the availability of licensed pilots in most European countries. There is however a growing issue with the employer’s perceived quality of pilots graduating from the flight schools. Attracting, properly selecting and training the right candidates are the core

This position paper focuses on the challenges and the potential risks of Crew Interoperability. Its aim is to point out questions that need to be answered and risks that need to be mitigated.

ECA fully shares the concerns of AEI (Aircraft Engineers International) with regard to the practice in several EU countries that reduce the release into service by licensed engineers to a mere administrative task without any physical inspection of the work performed. 

Despite the international recognition that cosmic radiation poses a workplace health risk to airline pilots, there is an immediate requirement for comprehensive research into all forms of radiation exposures of airline pilots. Keeping in mind the complexity of exposures in the cockpit

If you asked any European pilot if there is currently a pilot shortage, most of them would probably laugh. Few pilots in Europe would be willing to agree with media headlines about the ‘looming pilot shortage’. Then how come we are always hearing about the hundreds of thousands of pilots

ECA notes the ever-increasing number and degree of severity of incidents involving unruly passengers on board aircraft worldwide. Against this, the reaction of the authorities seems lukewarm. In many cases, although unruly passengers had already shown distinctive or deviant behaviour

European legislation prescribes that flight crew members must periodically have a background check that covers at least criminal records. ECA fully endorses the provisions of EU Regulation 300/2008, Annex 1.2.4 according to which “persons, including flight crew members, should have

Direct and indefinite employment contracts should remain the general form of employment relationship between employers and workers. Abuse and illegal use of atypical employment create precariousness, reduce workers’ rights and downgrade their working conditions

ECA welcomes the Commission’s Fitness Check exercise and believes that the current process of consultation is a unique opportunity to bring to the attention of DG HOME the European pilots’ views concerning the situation of international air transport.