EASA Updates Criteria for Ramp Checks

The European Aviation Safety Agency has revised criteria it uses to trigger unannounced ramp checks of foreign aircraft. Its new standards are contained in a recently updated guidance document intended for EASA ramp inspectors.

The guidelines list several specific items that inspectors may point to as probable cause that an aircraft might not be in compliance with regulations. The guidelines include: information regarding poor maintenance of or obvious damage or defects to an aircraft; “abnormal [aircraft] maneuvers that give rise to serious safety concerns"; a previous ramp inspection that has revealed deficiencies; indications that the operator or the state in which theoperator is based have been suspected of non-compliance; evidence that the state in which an aircraft is registered is not exercising proper safety oversight; and concerns about the operator based on instances of non-compliance that were recorded during previous ramp inspections.

The Flight Services Bureau, an independent organization that provides aviation notices to airmen, has published a generic ramp inspection checklist that operators can download.