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

The committee adopted the report by Nelly MAES (Greens/EFA, B) broadly approving the proposal, subject to a number of amendments (under the codecision procedure, 1st reading). It said that, when collecting information as provided for under the directive, Member States should take particular account of complaints by those living in residential areas bordering on airports, as such complaints can be useful in bringing about improvements in flight safety. Moreover, the information to be made available to the public should include summary outlines of complaints relating to aircraft safety and the action taken thereon. The report also said that, to avoid misinterpretations that could damage an airline's reputation, the published reasons for the grounding of an aircraft should be kept simple, easy to understand and unambiguous. The committee also called for ramp inspections to be possible by way of a spot-checks procedure, provided they were not discriminatory, and for a thorough safety check to be performed on every aircraft after every 350 hours of flight. Finally, the report urged the Commission to provide assistance to third countries to help local safety facilities and local staff to upgrade to EU standards in the area of aviation safety oversight. It argued that transferring technology and expertise to third countries would reduce the need for large teams of inspectors at EU airports.�