Safety Promotion
First semester 2022
- incorporates the obligations of the airport manager relating to the health checks to be carried out at the points of entry in Spain, pursuant to a resolution of 1 April 2022 of the Directorate-General for Public Health; and
- it is aligned with Royal Decree 286/2022, approved by the Council of Ministers, of 19 April, amending the mandatory use of masks during the health crisis caused by COVID-19.
- The EASA SM-TeB (Safety Management-Technical Body) group met telematically on 3 February to review the work programme. The first ordinary meeting of the year 2022 was held on 11 May. Major activities related to SSP (State Safety Programme)/SMS (Safety Management System) were reviewed, such as the revision of the GASP — Global Aviation Saftey Plan — 2023-2025, the revision of ICAO Annex 19, the regulatory updates related to SMS Part 21 and Part 145, EPAS, E2, security issues arising from the conflict in Ukraine, D4S -Data4Safety — or major safety promotion activities.
- The first meeting of RESG RASP ICAO was held on 21 and 22 February with the aim of monitoring the Regional Aviation Safety Plan (RASP) for the EUR/NAT ICAO region. In this semester the group has prepared a survey for consultation in the last quarter of 2022 to the countries of the region the degree of implementation of the Plan and the first meetings have been held to harmonise the next RASP with the EPAS.
- The Network of European Analysts (NoA) and its working groups have held numerous telematics meetings and some semi-in-person meetings during this period. In particular, the plenary meeting took place on 8 and 9 March with a follow-up meeting on 24 June. The most relevant topics were the impact on civil aviation of the war in Ukraine, the update of the European Risk Portfolios and the roadmap.
In addition, the following working groups have continued their activities:
- physical security: dedicated to the integrated approach to event risk management with a safety and security component.
- data quality and taxonomy: dedicated to the evolution and standardisation of data in occurrence reporting systems.
- Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS): dedicated to the development of specific occurrence reporting aspects for UAS and its implementation in the ECCAIRS Event Reporting System.
- Processing and analysis tools: dedicated to sharing between authorities lines of work and development for the management and analysis of occurrences with ECCAIRS 2.The working group dedicated to updating both the guidance material of Regulation (EU) No 376/2014 on the reporting, analysis and follow-up of occurrences, as well as the lists of mandatory fields and mandatory occurrences, is scheduled to be launched in September 2022.
- On 9 March, the MAB Research Group met, which reports to EASA on research activities carried out at national level in an attempt to unify these activities at European level. This first meeting in 2022 discussed the new challenges in operational security, the promotion of public-private collaboration in research projects, the use of analysis tools such as D4S, the synergies and interdependence between operational security and physical security, and the impact of cybersecurity on operational security, among other topics.
- The closing meeting of the EAPAIRR WG Meeting was held on 17 May (see news about the launch and publication of EAPAIRR 2.0 in this same newsletter).
- The ECCAIRS 2 project of the European Commission and EASA continues at an accelerated pace of development. As the project is carried out using Agile methodology, the tool currently has in place basic functionalities mainly aimed at supporting the European Central Event Repository and the management of recommendations of accident investigation authorities (SRIS). Advanced functionalities are under development following the prioritisation roadmap determined by the ECCAIRS Steering Board (ESB). The various European authorities will migrate to the new tool when the state of development makes it possible to cover the functionalities currently available to each authority. AESA does not plan to migrate to the new tool in 2022.
- The EASA-led ERCS Champions working group, which involves many EU authorities, has held 5 meetings in the first half of 2022. At these meetings numerous events have been reviewed in order to standardise the use of the European Risk Classification Scheme (ERCS) among the different European authorities. The group has made changes in its way of working so that it can hold meetings more frequently and thus be able to standardise more cases.
- EASA Safety Week was held between 27 and 29 June with sessions dedicated to safety in the different areas of aviation.
https://www.easa.europa.eu/easa-safety-week-agenda
- Online Day Users of the Single European Sky Air Area (SES), intended for air operators (30 June).
- Briefing to explain to organisations the draft of the European Union Agency (EASA) to regulate the operational safety of aircraft ground handling at certified airports (28 June).
- Online conference on Changes in the management process of the Certificate of Air Operator -AOC- (June 22).
- II Online Information Day with Training Organisations Part 147 (26 May).
- Online Day on Non-Commercial Operations (NCC) with Complex Aircraft (April 7).
- Online briefing on Business Operations with Balloons, with the aim of reviewing the safety management system, accidents, contributing factors and safety recommendations and training and verification of crews (6 April).
- Webinar on the new European operational regulations: regulatory changes to Regulation (EU) 2021/2237 as regards requirements for all-time operations and flight crew training and verification, and to Regulation (EU) 2021/1296 as regards fuel/energy planning and management requirements, which will enter into force on 30 October 2022 (17 March).
In addition, AESA has published two guides to facilitate the transition of the new regulations:
OPS-REG-ITR01-DT02 Ed 01. Guía de transición al cambio normativo Reg. (UE) 2021-2237.pdf (seguridadaerea.gob.es)
OPS-REG-ITR01-DT01 1.0 Guía de transición al cambio normativo Reg. (UE) 2021-1296.pdf (seguridadaerea.gob.es)
- Day on the lease of aircraft (10 March).
- II Information Conferences Organisations of Maintenance (3 March) and Management of Aircraft (March 8).
AESA forwards to the Secretariat of State the report of the PESO 2021
One more year, AESA, in compliance with Article 11.5 of Law 21/2003 on Aviation Safety, has submitted to the Secretary of State for Transport, Mobility and Urban Agenda the annual report of the State Operational Safety Programme (PESO).
The PESO’s follow-up report summarises the most significant efforts made by the various actors linked to the Programme with the ultimate aim of achieving an increasingly safer civil aviation.
In 2021 it was necessary to publish an Action Plan to align it with the new objectives of the PESO set out in the Agreement of the Council of Ministers of 15 December 2020. This document would only apply in 2021 because priority areas needed to be reviewed and adapted. This comprehensive review of the Programme, State objectives and areas is completed in the second edition of the Plan, which includes the actions of the first edition and the new priority areas of follow-up. This second edition of the 2021-2025 Plan is reported in another news release of this same newsletter.
The objectives of the Programme in 2021 are considered to be met with the exception of the last, on safety culture, whose measurement has been greatly impacted by the decline in activity during the COVID-19 crisis in 2020. Even so, it is noted that the notification has recovered faster than the operation, inferring that if the 2019 traffic levels had been reached, the target would have been met.
For the actions, 81 % of the actions foreseen in the plan have been completed, above the target of 75 % initially defined.
Adopted the 2nd edition of the Operational Safety Action Plan PASO 2021-2025
The second edition of the Operational Safety Action Plan (PASO) 2021-2025 has been approved, aimed at achieving the maximum development of the State Operational Safety Programme (PESO) for Civil Aviation, with the aim of strengthening aviation safety by adopting a new preventive approach in this area. The PASO, which has been approved by Resolution of the Director of AESA, Montserrat Domènech, has been prepared by the Agency in collaboration with the suppliers and the other public bodies involved, in order to achieve the operational safety objectives set out in the PESO.
The plan describes the activities aimed at improving operational safety in those areas identified as priorities, both of the public bodies responsible for oversight and control of safety, of the providers of aeronautical services and products and of the other public bodies that are part of the PESO.
The Operational Safety Program provides an integrated vision of the entire Spanish civil aviation sector, allows the identification and assessment of risks related to operational safety, as well as taking decisions to keep the risks under control. In addition, it networks all actors in the civil aviation system, taking advantage of synergies between them. The Action Plan includes the specific tasks to be developed, its targets and indicators.
The PASO is consistent with the European Aviation Safety Plan (EPAS) 2022-2026, as required by Regulation (EU) 2018/1139 of 4 July 2018 on common rules in the field of civil aviation and establishing a European Union Aviation Safety Agency. In addition, both the Plan and the Programme are in conformity with Annex 19 to the Convention on International Civil Aviation.
See here the Operational Safety Action Plan 2021-2025
Published the National Action Plan for U-space Deployment that will integrate drones into airspace
The growth of unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) operations requires safe integration with the rest of air traffic. To this end, the European Commission has established a regulatory framework to manage UAS traffic in an automated and integrated manner with manned aviation. This concept is what is called U-space.
U-space is the set of services and procedures that are being developed in a coordinated manner to enable a high number of operations with unmanned aircraft, especially those of greater complexity, in an orderly, fluid, safe and affordable way.
In order to comply with this European legislation, the Ministry of Transport, Mobility and Urban Agenda has established the National Action Plan for the Deployment of the U-space (PANDU). The document is developed under the leadership of the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGAC) with the co-authorship of the State Aviation Safety Agency (AESA) and ENAIRE, as well as the outstanding collaboration in its development of the Ministry of Defence.
This plan involves all stakeholders in the sector to promote the development of infrastructure and the implementation of U-space services in a coordinated and efficient manner throughout the national territory. High-level strategic decisions and possible regulatory developments will be required, in line with European implementing legislation in January 2023 following their adoption in April 2021.
The Plan published by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation is available on the web Air Space Policy | Ministry of Transport, Mobility and Urban Agenda (mitma.gob.es)
FDM guide material update
Last April, AESA updated the guide for developing FDM (Flight Data Monitoring) flight data tracking programs for operators. The guide includes the material of the working group of the European Agency EASA in which European air operators participate on a voluntary basis
The material can be accessed at the following link:
Guía FDM_v1.0.pdf (seguridadaerea.gob.es)
Meeting of the FDM national forum
Following the COVID pandemic stoppage, the national FDM forum held its 10th meeting in April. The forum is integrated within the framework of the PESO (State Operational Safety Program) and aims to analyse events that lead to improved security.
Representatives of 16 airlines participated in this meeting.
Safety assessment template for FUA changes (flexible use of airspace)
Based on international standards on safety analysis, CIDETMA, with the encouragement of DGAC and the participation of AESA, has approved the Safety Assessment Template for changes in FUA deployment within the scope of Article 7 RG (EC) 2150/2005. Thus, Article 7 of Regulation (EC) No 2150/2005 on FUA is complied with.
Update of Aeronautical Services and Territorial Integration
The Directorate-General for Civil Aviation (DGAC) continues to promote the updating of aviation servitudes through royal decrees. In the first six months, three new royal decrees have been approved and the processing of another 15 that is expected to be completed by the end of 2022 has been promoted.
The purpose of aeronautical servitudes is to ensure the safety and regularity of aircraft operations at the airports to which they refer, preventing the possible proliferation of obstacles in their immediate vicinity.
In such a way, land, construction and installations surrounding aerodromes and air navigation aids are subject to the limitations of physical, radio and operational aeronautical servitudes established to ensure the continuity of air operations in appropriate safety conditions.
Linked to the work of processing new aeronautical servitudes, both DGAC and AESA do an important task to ensure the territorial integration of infrastructures with the respective sectoral reports that coordinate urban planning actions with the environment.
Compliance with Reg. (EU) 2017/373. Maximum permissible tailwind.
The Directorate-General for Civil Aviation (DGAC) has led a joint technical working group with Enaire, Aena and AESA, whose work was completed in January 2022, through which the adaptation to the update of the standard (amending Regulation (EU) 2017/373) on maximum permissible tailwind for the safe operation of aircraft at landing has been coordinated.
Update of the Operational Guidelines for Air Passenger and Aviation Personnel Management in relation to the Covid-19 pandemic
Last April, AESA published the update of the operational guidelines for the management of air passengers and aviation personnel in relation to the Covid-19 pandemic
The measures being taken to monitor and control the spread of COVID-19 resulting from movements by air of persons are being continuously updated by the competent authorities.
This update:
The figure of 8000 PISO reports is reached
The PISO is the Operational Safety Indicators Portal. It is a primary source of data for the analysis and management of air carriers’ safety, complementing information obtained from other sources such as the Event Reporting System. It has been in use for more than 10 years.
Examples of these indicators, reported on a monthly basis and by fleet, are the number of flights analysed by FDM, extensions of required delays, repetitive defects identified, technical cancellations, operational deviations, etc.
The round figure of 8,000 reports has been reached during this semester. Achieving this would not have been possible without the efforts of the airlines in the report of the indicators.
New version of the European Action Plan for Airspace Infringement Risk Reduction
The second version of EAPAIRR (European Action Plan for Airspace Infringement Risk Reduction) has been published. AESA has collaborated in the preparation of this action plan, which recommends a number of measures to improve safety for airspace users, civilian and military service providers and national authorities.
You can find the SKYbrary link below:
https://skybrary.aero/articles/european-airspace-infringement-action-plan
Publication of the White Paper on Safety Culture for Air Operators
The State Aviation Safety Agency (AESA) has published the White Paper on Safety Culture for Air Operators, with the aim of providing the Agency’s vision on safety culture, establishing a common framework for the air operators sector and proposing lines of action with a view to establishing a plan to promote the culture of safety in the sector.
The culture of safety is considered essential for safety, but since it is an intangible concept, it is complex to establish its effects on safety and the associated risk that it entails that it is not positive. For this reason, one of the purposes of this White Paper is to ensure that air operators consider the Culture of Safety as a fundamental component in the development of safety within the framework of their operation. To this end, a set of measurement concepts and protocols are presented in the security management system (SMS) environment, which must be adapted to the particular operational context of each organisation.
In order to facilitate the implementation of the protocols and indicators of the Safety Culture, the Agency presents a Pilot Programme that can be added to any aircraft operators they want, in order to adapt and optimise the measurement tools, to study the actions needed to improve the Culture of Safety within the organisations and to draw lessons learned from the application of this model.
On 21 September, AESA will hold a Safety Culture Day for air operators with the aim of presenting the White Paper, and the concepts and elements that are defined in it. This day will select the organisations that are interested in participating in the Pilot Programme, in order to begin the practical application of the tools proposed in this White Paper on Safety Culture.
The document can be accessed at the following link:
Safety Culture White Paper for Air Operators (seguridadaerea.gob.es)
AESA updates the information circular on the early detection of possible 5G telephony interference with radio altimeters
In early February, the State Aviation Safety Agency (AESA) updated the Air Sector Information Circular on the detection of possible 5G telephony interference with civil aircraft radio altimeters. The document can be found in the following link:
https://www.seguridadaerea.gob.es/sites/default/files/INFS-2020-001-1.1.pdf
Despite the fact that AESA is not aware of any event or incident with strong indications of being related to this situation in our country, given the reactivation in the US of the problems regarding the possible interference of 5G telephone equipment and devices with radio altimeters, the Agency has updated, with the latest information available, the Information Circular it issued in December 2020.
The aim is, within the preventive approach to security, to continue to inform the sector about the situation at European level and to compile a non-exhaustive list of possible actions for organisations in order to be able to carry out adequate early detection and reporting through AESA’s HRS in the event of confirmation of the issues raised.
Presentation at the Dubai Expo the Centers of Excellence of Sustainability, Drones and Human Factors
Last January, AESA presented the AESA Centers of Excellence at the Dubai Expo: Sustainability in Aviation, Unmanned Air Systems (Drones) and Human Factors.
The director of the Agency participated in the table ‘Transport of the Future and the Future of Transport’, within the Week of Travel and Connectivity organised in the pavilion of Spain Expo Dubai 2020. The director of AESA explained some of the projects in which the Aviation Sustainability Centre of Excellence works, such as the conversion of garbage into aviation fuel or the recycling of aircraft at its end of life.
From the Center of Excellence of Unmanned Aircraft, a group of top specialists from companies, universities and research centers, work on the best way to address the main challenges identified: the integration of drones into airspace with the rest of the aircraft; the flight of drones in urban areas; and the technological development necessary to achieve all this safely and accepted by society.
The newly created Centre of Excellence for Human Factors arises to help answer the question of how to develop the interface between people and machines to ensure the growth of air traffic in a safe and orderly manner?
This AESA Center aims to analyse the best way to achieve automation, necessary to facilitate the future of aviation, and face the management challenges this poses for people, in a complex working environment, while simplifying for routine tasks, both in the world of ATC and aircraft operation.
Participation in key international safety management forums
During this semester, Spain has participated in the main forums dedicated to safety management. Thus, among others:
The working group to update both the guidance material of Regulation (EU) No 376/2014 on the reporting, analysis and follow-up of occurrences, as well as the lists of mandatory fields and mandatory occurrences, is scheduled to be launched in September 2022.
In addition, continuing ECCAIRs’ vocation to become a global occurrence management standard, a work programme between the European Union and ICAO was adopted to enable ICAO to continue and expand the use of ECCAIRS for both the organisation and non-members of the European Union (EU-ICAO MIXT COMMITTEE DECISION of 10 March 2022 on the adoption of a work programme between the European Union and the International Civil Aviation Organisation on cooperation in the field of reporting accidents and incidents in civil aviation [2022/647]).
Information Days
During this first semester, AESA held several information days:
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