Regulators search for safety in numbers

Date: 26/09/1996

AS Superman was fond of telling Lois Lane, flying is statistically the safest form of transport. But a number of high-profile accidents in recent months have shaken many people's faith in that assertion.

There are those who believe that opening up the Union's skies to cut-price airlines is a recipe for disaster, with the risk that some might take shortcuts in vital areas of safety.

The issue shot to the top of the transport agenda this spring following the death of 164 German tourists in an accident off the Dominican Republic. Spurred on by German Transport Minister Matthias Wissmann, Neil Kinnock decided the time had come to act.

Although statistics show that the European region has one-third of the world's air traffic but only a tenth of all accidents, the Transport Commissioner recognised the political and public relations importance of maintaining the highest standards, and being seen to do so.

His safety strategy found general support on its first airing before ministers this June but, as is the case elsewhere in the aviation sector, the Commission is acutely aware of the split in legislative competence on safety issues.

“We got basic agreement on harmonising procedures, but a lot has to be done through the European Civil Aviation Conference (ECAC) and the Joint Aviation Authorities (JAA),” stresses an official, acknowledging member states' sensitivities about abdicating sovereignty in the transport sector.

In the meantime, Directorate-General VII (transport) has gone away to prepare a directive on the state of airport controls, which should see the light of day before the end of the year.

Based on the port state control system used in the maritime sector, this would allow checks to be made on the airworthiness of aircraft and the adequacy of third countries' safety procedures.

Ideally, the Commission would like laws to oblige member states to ground aircraft they find or suspect to be dangerous. But while generally supportive of the concept, some member states remain to be convinced of the effectiveness of random checks on airliners.

“If there is a problem with the safety of a ship, it is pretty obvious. I cannot imagine inspectors taking apart an aircraft on the runway because they suspect something is wrong,” said one official.

Other ideas in the Commission's action plan include more systematic methods for assessing the safety of foreign carriers and improved sharing of information between member states.

Kinnock is looking at the creation of a European Aviation Safety Authority. Once again, the question of competence will loom large in any such plan, although Commission officials stress such a body would concentrate on the certification of aircraft and flying organisations.

The Commission naturally looks with envy at the powers enjoyed by the Federal Aviation Administration in the US. Neither the JAA nor the ECAC have their US counterpart's legislative muscle, and member state governments are unlikely to ask the Commission to assume responsibility for air safety across the Union.

Where several players see the EU's role is in giving firm direction to the debate and at least ensuring a degree of consistent application in its 15 member states - a complicated task. The EU 15 are joined by seven others in Eurocontrol, (the European Organisation for the Safety of Air Navigation), by five others in the JAA and by a further seven, many of whom hope to join the EU early in the next century, in the ECAC.

Aware that the aircraft themselves are only part of the picture, the Commission is also preparing legislation aimed at standardising flight and duty times for flight crews. But its plans to build on the JAA's efforts at harmonisation seem set to please no one.

The European Cockpit Association believes the “lowest common denominator” approach in trying to reach a compromise between existing national standards could lead to a “serious slip in safety standards”, while the Association of European Airlines (AEA) believes extra regulations on flight times will increase costs and cut productivity.

The recent appearance at London's Stansted Airport of a hijacked Sudanese airliner has concentrated minds on the other major threat to airline users. While anti-terrorism measures on the ground are likely to remain the preserve of domestic security forces, cooperation within the EU's criminal intelligence agency Europol should permit improved dissemination of information between member states.