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.”
