Air safety: third-country aircrafts using Community airports, SAFA programme

PURPOSE : to contribute to the improvement of air safety by assessing the safety of third countries aircraft using Community airports. CONTENT : with regard to the safety assessment of third countries, there is a general agreement on the need to set in place a system for assessing the levels of safety actually achieved by foreign carriers operating services to and from EU countries. The aim of this proposal is to set in the Community the legal framework for the introduction and the operational application of such a safety assessment of third countries aircraft while leaving enough margin to the Member States to build the corresponding mechanisms individually or collectively, for example within the JAA, as they see fit. Moreover, the need for such an initiative is further reinforced by the recent terrorist events in the United States of America. The purpose of the draft Directive shall be to contribute tothe improvement of the air safety by ensuring that : - information is collected and disseminated so that sufficient evidence can be established to decide on measures required to ensure the safety aof the travelling public as well as of people on the ground; - third-country aircraft, their operation and crew are inspected whenever there is reasonable suspicion that international safety standards are not being met and such aircraft are grounded if this is necessary to ensure immediate safety; - appropriate measures for rectification of identified shortcomings are decided and implemented. The international safety standards the respect of which is to be controlled are those contained in the Annexes to the Chicago Convention of 1944 to which all Member States are Parties. The Commission has ensured that its proposal is consistent with such international obligations of its Member States under the Chicago Convention by limiting mandatory inspections to aircraft operators for which there is indication of possible deficiencies and by avoiding to impose systematic random inspections which should be considered as contrary to the Convention.�