The European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) released on Monday the 11th edition of the European Plan for Aviation Safety (EPAS), which, in the words of the agency, «sets out the strategic priorities and major risks affecting the European aviation system, and defines the actions needed to mitigate them, with the primary objective of improving aviation safety».
The EPAS is the regional safety plan (RASP) of the EASA member states, supporting safety management at the state level and constituting the main source of the EUR RAPS for the ICAO EUR region.
As detailed by EASA, this edition features a focus area on the impact of the pandemic on the aviation sector and how to initiate recovery from the crisis without severely affecting safety levels.
Other salient points include 19 new research projects in technologies such as remote flight instruction, risk assessment of complex systems, the use of machine learning in certification, and electric or hybrid propulsion.
Regarding drones, EPAS continues the line of work to foster the development of a drone ecosystem in Europe, taking into account how the pandemic accelerated the use in some tasks such as the delivery of medical supplies, humanitarian aid, and response to emergencies and disasters.
The environmental aspect covers efforts to increase fuel efficiency, preparation for the use of electric and hybrid propulsion, sustainable fuels, carbon offsetting, and the development of an environmental label.
Documents
- EPAS 2022-2026 Volume I
- EPAS 2022-2026 Volume II
- EPAS 2022-2026 Volume III
- How EPAS is developed
- EPAS action types and templates
- List of Acronyms and Definitions
- Working groups and Bodies having a role in EPAS
