(2004/C 84 E/0195)

WRITTEN QUESTION P-0075/04

by Raffaele Costa (PPE-DE) to the Commission

(13 January 2004)

Subject:   Flight safety checks

The European Union — via the European Parliament, the Commission and the Council — has in various ways urged the individual countries to introduce effective flight safety controls. Safety is extremely important, and not just in view of the recent tragic accident. Does the Commission not consider it would be useful to obtain information from the individual countries concerning the checks carried out on the condition of aircraft and the results produced? Have checks been carried out on individual carriers and how many and what kind of checks were carried out without prior notice in the various countries on both scheduled flights and ‘charter’ flights? Has the crucial issue — which is not always spelled out — of the relationship between low fares and expenditure on flight administration and routine and special aircraft maintenance been tackled in every country?

Answer given by Mrs de Palacio on behalf of the Commission

(25 February 2004)

Member States inspect foreign aircraft which land on their territory and take part in a coordination programme established by the European Civil Aviation Conference: the Safety Assessment of Foreign Aircraft (SAFA) programme. These checks and the SAFA programme were much discussed in the press following the Flash Airlines Boeing 737 accident at Sharm el Sheikh on 3 January 2004; the checking of this aircraft highlighted the programme's limitations.

The proposal for a Directive of the European Parliament and of the Council on the safety of third countries' aircraft using Community airports (1) should make it possible to overcome the deficiencies in the SAFA programme, in particular by making checks mandatory by providing scope for Community action vis-à-vis undertakings or countries which fail to comply with safety requirements, and by publishing an annual report on inspections. Once this Directive is applied by the Member States, the Commission will have detailed information on all the inspections carried out at Community airports.

The Commission currently has the following data: in 2002, European States participating in the SAFA programme carried out 3 234 checks on aircraft operated by 529 airlines from 127 countries.

The Commission notes that the certification of airlines and the certification of each individual aircraft is done by the national civil aviation authority of the country in which the airline is established or in which the aircraft is registered, in accordance with the rules of the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO). The responsibility of ensuring that international safety standards are being adhered to rests with the national authority, regardless of the relationship between fares, costs and aircraft maintenance. All undertakings must submit to inspections by the competent authorities. The national registration authorities undergo ICAO audits.

(1)  OJ C 103 E, 30.4.2002.