EASA Safety Conference Warns Against Complacency

Complacency is the biggest safety risk in Europe, according to speakers at EASA’s Annual Safety Conference held in the Danish capital Copenhagen earlier this month. Experts from across the continent’s aviation sector also called for regulations to be reviewed, updated, and simplified to concentrate the safety focus in an increasingly complex operating environment.

“In aviation, we have to constantly reconsider how safe we are,” said EASA executive director Florian Guillermet, reflecting on what the agency has characterized as strong safety performance in recent years. “Our discussions show that we are starting to get a better grip on safety risks at stake today and that we have a common mindset. Now we need to come together to take the right actions, including to ensure that we don’t do compliance for the sake of compliance but for the sake of safety, to keep standards high, while ensuring we have a competitive European aviation industry.”

Conference speakers pointed to multiple safety incidents, including runway incursions and incorrect altimeter settings that came close to resulting in accidents. The conference also addressed potential risks from lithium batteries causing fires on board aircraft.

EASA recently launched a stakeholder survey to gather inputs on possible rule simplification. Conference participants indicated strong support for so-called smart regulation, while some speakers cautioned against compromising safety by changing or removing requirements without a robust framework.