Safety Management

On this page we provide an overview of the various activities that are being carried out towards the regulation and implementation of safety management at various levels in the EU aviation system. Information on this website is organised in three dimensions to facilitate access and comprehension. The site describes safety management activities at the Member State level, at the European Union (EU) level and at the global level.

ICAO principles

In order to further improve the already good safety record that exists in the civil aviation industry, ICAO has promoted the principles of safety management. These principles revolve around the implementation of a Safety Management System (SMS) in industry organisations and a State Safety Programme (SSP) in Contracting States. The Safety Management Manual (ICAO Doc 9859) is a good starting point to become more familiar with the principles promoted by ICAO. The following ICAO Standards contain safety management requirements: Annex 6, 8, 11, 13, 14 and parts of Annex 1.

ICAO is currently developing a new edition of the Safety Management Manual and a new Annex (Annex 19). The new Annex will collect in one document all the safety management requirements now spread across various documents.

1. Safety Management at the Member State level

When developing these principles, ICAO mandated that all Contracting States (and therefore also EASA Member States) implement an SSP while organisations in the Member States were required to establish an SMS. Both elements are complementary.

This space will host relevant projects and activities developed by individual authorities and organisations within the EASA Member States towards the regulation and implementation of SMS and SSP.

2. Safety Management at the EU level

The first EASA SSP/SMS requirements will be adopted this year and will cover the domains of air operations and flight crew licensing. Information on the progress and status of these rulemaking activities can be found here. Requirements will be progressively extended to other domains of the aviation system. These requirements will integrate the principles of safety management promoted by ICAO.

The European Commercial Aviation Safety Team (ECAST), a partnership among EASA, other European regulators and the aviation industry, established an SMS and safety culture working group with the objective of providing its stakeholders guidance on safety management in support to regulatory materials being developed by ICAO and EASA. The materials developed by the group can be found here.

Additionally to the above, EASA, the Member States, the European Commission, our safety initiatives, the Performance Review Body and Eurocontrol have taken a more proactive approach and worked collaboratively to develop the European Aviation Safety Programme (EASP). The EASP aids Member States in meeting their legal obligations and further improving safety.

The EASP

Certain systems such as the one set up in the European Union need further consideration when it comes to safety management principles and requirements.

The sharing of roles between the EU and the Member States, as described in the EASA Basic Regulation, makes it necessary for the Member States to work together with EASA to fully implement the SSP. Production of an EU equivalent of an SSP (i.e. the EASP) is a more efficient means of discharging this obligation and would support the EU Member and associated States in developing their own SSPs.

To download a full article explaining the pioneer approach taken in Europe click here.

The main elements of the EASP

The proposed approach for European aviation safety is based on three elements:

  • A set of policies and objectives from political authorities (the strategy). The strategic elements are spelled out by the European Commission in a Communication to the Council and the European Parliament. To download the communication click here.
  • An integrated set of regulations and activities aimed at improving safety (the programme). The EASP is published as a Commission Staff Working Paper. It conforms to the ICAO SSP framework. To download the latest version click here.
  • A high level safety issues assessment and related action plan (the safety plan). The Safety Plan is updated every year. Two editions have been issued already:
    • To download the first edition, Safety Plan 2011-2014 click here.
    • To download the second edition, Safety Plan 2012-2015, click here. A final list of safety actions is available here.

For further information about the EASP or to provide feedback and help us improve it, do not hesitate to contact us -

3. Safety Management at the global level

With safety management becoming the standard for aviation safety worldwide, it is most beneficial for the international community to harmonise safety management activities, collaborate on common topics of interest and share lessons learned. To garner these benefits, the FAA along with the Agency, ICAO and TCCA have initiated a Safety Management International Collaboration Group (SM ICG).

  • To learn more about SM ICG click here.
  • The first product of this fruitful international collaboration is a pamphlet with 10 basic questions and answers about SMS. Download the pamphlet here.