Five strategic themes to guide our activities: safe, global, green, innovative, resilient

If I had to sum it up in one word: safety. I have worked in the aviation industry for over 25 years, and in most areas of the aviation value chain – in the airlines industry, at air navigation service providers (ANSPs), in research and innovation and in the European aviation institutions. In every job, safety has always been an important, critical or even dominant theme. Indeed, it is hard to think of an employee anywhere in the aviation industry who does not in some way impact on the safety of air transportation. The strong track record of safety in aviation is fundamental to its success and allows European citizens to fly with confidence. EASA is the organisation at the centre of that safety culture and shapes all aspects of the aviation industry in Europe. This mission, to keep aviation safe, motivates me every day.

EASA has built an excellent reputation due to the knowledge, professionalism and dedication of its employees. If I need a briefing on any aviation safety subject, however niche or technical it may be, there is someone in our building who can quickly give an overview and answer questions. In its 20 years of existence, EASA has truly established itself as the centrepiece of the European Union’s strategy for aviation safety, increasing its remit so that it touches on most areas of aviation. It has proved resilient through the many crises that have hit aviation in the last few years, not least the COVID-19 pandemic.

What I see now is the need for a consolidation phase. With my senior management team, I am taking a comprehensive look at the agency’s organisation, objectives and priorities so we can fully align our ambitions with our missions and our available human and financial resources. I anticipate some moderate internal reorganisation that I plan to put in place early next year, after consultation with the management board and social partners.

My aim is to ensure that EASA is equipped to maintain and build on its strong reputation in the years to come.

We have agreed on five strategic themes to guide our activities: Safe, Global, Green, Innovative, Resilient. This is an evolution rather than a revolution. I have already talked about the importance of safety. The Global theme relates to our international activities – work with other regulators, ICAO and so on, and also to the international cooperation work with countries in regions such as Latin America and Asia. Green reflects our contribution to the overall challenge of making aviation more sustainable, and there are some overlaps here with Innovative, as many current innovations are precisely linked to reducing environmental impact. The innovative theme also embraces the digital transformation of our industry and concepts such as artificial intelligence (AI), where we are still exploring how this can be applied in aviation to further enhance safety. It is also about reviewing existing rules to ensure that they are still fit for purpose and simplifying them, wherever possible, to keep a focus on safety and not just compliance. Resilient refers to the agency itself, its tangible objectives, its planning and resourcing.

All of our activities should be able to be traced back to at least one of these themes.

EUROCONTROL and EASA have formed a strong and longstanding cooperation on many areas of mutual interest. In 2020, we established a new joint unit, the EASA-EUROCONTROL Technical and Coordination Office (TeCO) at EUROCONTROL’s Brussels headquarters. This has enhanced the synergies between the two organisations’ respective technical and scientific teams through regular exchange of information, knowledge and data.

The activities of the two organisations should be complementary: EASA has overall responsibility for defining the safety of all aviation operations, including ATM; EUROCONTROL plays a critical role in network management and applying its technical expertise to support its Member States and stakeholders.

In a changing environment for aviation, as we face the challenges of aviation design transformation to become more sustainable and prepare for the future of aviation, it makes sense for these two organisations to work together closely. We need to ensure that our activities are aligned and not duplicative, and to review this regularly as the sector evolves.

From my last experience as director of air navigation services in France, there is a strong expectation from all our stakeholders, whether they are states, authorities, industry or social partners, that they want to have things done, regardless of who does it. There are many challenges to face, and we need a united approach to address them.

We are already exploring further synergies to bring the cooperation to the next level.

The unavailability of some airspace (e.g. Russia, Ukraine) undoubtedly places some stress on the areas where air traffic can operate normally, by increasing the load in those areas. This needs careful management and vigilance. We count on the professionalism of our ATM network and ATCOs who by their actions, ensure on a daily basis that traffic is able to operate safely despite these constraints. When looking at the very intense summer period, there are clear lessons to be learned on airspace congestion, but we need to assess as well how the aviation system has responded from a safety perspective. Once again, we can never be complacent, and when all operations are under such a very significant pressure we all have to remain vigilant.

Indeed, working with research centres, EASA conducted a scientific study for the first time in Europe, based on large samples of European air traffic service providers (ATSPs) and ATCOs and objective data on fatigue and rostering practices. The current regulatory framework on ATCO fatigue exists alongside that for pilots and this could be further developed as part of the work on the human dimension of the Single European Sky (SES). As in any other field, rulemaking needs to be supported by solid data.

The study told us that, overall, the working conditions of ATCOs have improved since the adoption of the EU Regulation on ATM/ANS provision in 2017 and that the prevalence of fatigue among European ATCOs is low to moderate. This could a priori appear to be a positive finding. However, the more detailed results highlighted a number of issues such as variations between countries, ATSPs and ATCO positions, suboptimal safety occurrence reporting on fatigue or different interpretations of legal terms. EASA has adopted an action plan to address these issues which includes the possible revision of the EASA guidance material. This is a field where we can definitely team up with EUROCONTROL, as a lot of work has already been carried out on this topic.

Big Data is certainly one. Data4Safety, or D4S, led by EASA in partnership with the EASA Member States and the industry, holds data such as safety reports, flight data from air operators, traffic data from the ATM system and also weather data. This powerful digital platform in a trust environment allows, for example, directed studies on particular safety topics, blind benchmarking and vulnerability discovery, i.e. the ability to find the new and novel things that might cause a risk. Its ability to draw meaning from millions of data points provides us with a new way to be proactive about safety.

Secondly, technological innovation has already been an important factor in bringing aviation to its current level of safety. And this innovation continues apace – artificial intelligence, machine learning, predictive maintenance, augmented reality, better sky-ground communication, and a host of other developments. EASA’s role is to ensure that these concepts are applied in a way which truly enhances the safety of our skies.

Finally, we need to ensure that safety actions are implemented in a timely manner at national and European levels. The European Plan for Aviation Safety (EPAS) is endorsed by the EASA Management Board and details safety actions which need to be better prioritised and better aligned with national safety plans. Overall, safety is not only about making new rules, but also about ensuring that these rules are enforced by all aviation stakeholders and that they are lived through a strong and vivid safety culture throughout the value chain.