EASA: European Safety Recs Focus on Aircraft, Operations

Strengthening aircraft systems and design standards, operational safety and procedures, and general aviation and recreational flight safety were among key areas that the EU Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) spotlighted as it sought to address the recommendations it received as a result of accident investigations and other safety reviews.

In its newly released Annual Safety Recommendations Review, EASA reported receiving 39 recommendations in 2025 from investigations of 20 events: 13 accidents, five serious incidents, and two incidents. Most of these came from safety investigatory agencies within the EU. None involved uncrewed aerial vehicles.

More than half (56.4%) surrounded issues involving aircraft, equipment, and facilities, while another 33.3% centered on procedures and regulations. In other areas, personnel-related issues were the focus of 5.1% of the recommendations. “This distribution highlights the continuing relevance of operational practices and regulatory frameworks as core areas for safety improvement,” the safety agency maintained.

In all, in 2025, EASA addressed some 78 safety recommendations (including those beyond those it received during that year), 31 of which were final replies and the remainder interim updates.

In evaluating these results, EASA identified five key focus areas, including strengthening aircraft systems and design standards and continuing airworthiness. In this area, the agency advanced certification and other initiatives surrounding engine reliability, takeoff performance monitoring, oxygen-system fire risks, flight-control integrity, and legacy aircraft support.

Another area touched upon operational safety, flight crew procedures, and human performance. Along those lines, EASA updated aeromedical standards, enhanced pilot guidance, and focused on crew decision-making and human factors.

A third area involved safety promotion and risk awareness campaigns. In this area, EASA built on its safety promotion activities across general aviation, ballooning, emergency response, and pilot readiness through the use of campaigns, safety information bulletins (SIBs), and guidance material discussing emerging operational risks.

Further, safety recommendations pointed to a need to develop new regulatory frameworks and strengthen oversight. As such, EASA introduced new EU ground-handling regulations and continued to expand its use of risk-based oversight tools.

The fifth focus area involved general aviation and recreational flight safety, under which EASA addressed balloon safety risk, along with sailplanes, recreational aircraft, and ballistic parachutes.