European pilots and air traffic
controllers welcome the agreement reached by the EU institutions on the new
Occurrence Reporting Regulation. With the vote today in its Transport
Committee, the European Parliament confirms once again its strong commitment to
air safety. This legislation will ensure a much stricter protection of the
safety incident data, the reporter and all the persons involved in a safety
incident, and will guarantee an appropriate use of the information in a more
robust ‘Just Culture’ environment. It will also set a comprehensive framework
and high standards for collecting, storing and analysing relevant safety
incident data.“This compromise text is very positive news for Europe’s travelling public and for the thousands of pilots and air traffic controllers who day in, day out make sure flights take off, fly to their destinations and land safely,” says Nico Voorbach, ECA President. “As safety professionals we know that a genuine, far-reaching Just Culture environment, based on trust, is a key ingredient for improving aviation safety. This regulation sets the scene for a pro-active approach to prevent air accidents and loss of life in Europe.”
“We welcome the deal struck by the European Parliament and the Member States on this important piece of legislation. This regulation will provide the tools for controllers and pilots to report – in line with our professional commitment to safety – honest mistakes or mishaps in an open, “no-blame” environment. It is now crucial to work together and put these new rules into practice at the national and organisational levels,” says Alexis Brathwaite, IFATCA President & CEO.
“I would like to praise in particular the excellent work of Mrs de Veyrac and her fellow-Parliamentarians,” says Philip von Schöppenthau, ECA Secretary General. “The EU Parliament played a crucial role in further improving an already good proposal from the Commission. They produced a high quality product, because they understood that the primary objective of this legislation is not to apportion blame or liability but to improve the safety of Europe’s travelling public.”
