Communication from the Commission to the Council and the European Parliament – Setting up an Aviation Safety Management System for Europe

In publishing its White Paper on Transport the Commission stated the clear aim that the European Union should be the safest region for aviation. In addition, the Report of the High Level Group on Aviation Research stated a goal for 2050 of reducing the accident rate of commercial aircraft flights to less than one per ten million flights, i.e. half the current level.

However, whilst the aviation accident rate continues to decline the rate of decline has slowed markedly since 2004 and at the same time we are seeing a continued growth in the number of flights, which are set to almost double by 2030. As a consequence, in order to preserve the current low level of fatalities resulting from air accidents, we must ensure that the rate of accidents continues to decline in order to match the continued growth in the number of flights.

The EU is therefore faced with a significant challenge over the coming years if it is to be a world leader in aviation safety and save lives that would otherwise be lost. There is therefore a clear need for action.

This Communication, therefore, describes how this challenge can be met and sets out some specific actions. It is Europe's contribution in support of the aim, agreed at the International Civil Aviation Organisation's (ICAO) High Level Safety Conference held in Montreal in 2010, of moving towards a pro-active, evidence based, management of aviation safety.

This Communication is accompanied by a Commission Staff Working Paper describing the current aviation safety framework at European level.

• Primary Source

EUR-Lex: COM(2011)670: Follow the progress of this document through the decision-making procedure http://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/HIS/?uri=COM:2011:670:FIN

European Commission: SEC(2011)1261: The European Aviation Safety Programme http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=SEC:2011:1261:FIN:EN:PDF

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