PRESS RELEASE OF THE EUROPEAN COCKPIT ASSOCIATION, BRUSSELS, 30 November 2015

In a joint initiative to strengthen the relationship between aviation medical examiners and pilots, the European associations ESAM, EAAP and ECA have issued today their joint approach to medical and mental fitness assessments of pilots. It endorses a key set of guidelines developed by the Aerospace Medical Association (AsMA). This step constitutes a milestone in strengthening aeromedical assessments, taking into account the increasing relevance of psychosocial stressors, mental health aspects, and the changing working environment that pilots are exposed to.

In their Joint Statement, the three organisations stress that safe pilot performance during an entire career should be the common aim of professional pilots, aeromedical and aviation psychological specialists, airline managers, and authorities alike.

“As part of the ESAM ‘Fly Safe, Fly Well’ project, which seeks to strengthen the role of prevention in aeromedical assessments, particularly in the psychosocial aspects of pilot’s health, we felt the need to work together with aviation psychologists and pilots,” says Kevin Herbert, President of the European Society of Aerospace Medicine. “As a result, we have worked with colleagues from ECA and EAAP, and I am delighted that we have forged an excellent working relationship. Together we will be publishing an information leaflet for Pilots and Aviation Medical Examiners, as what we think is an important step in enhancing the trust and co-operation between them. Another result is our joint endorsement of the Aerospace Medical Association’s mental health working group recommendations. On behalf of ESAM, I look forward to future collaboration in the interests of flight safety.”

“Health and mental fitness issues may arise during the career of a professional pilot,” says André Droog, President of the European Association for Aviation Psychology, EAAP. “When happening, recognition and acceptance are the first steps in solving them. Any raising of such issues or request for assistance by the pilot should be taken seriously and be positively appreciated and reacted upon by the pilot’s environment, e.g., the airline management, the company’s occupational health service, peers, regulators, and aeromedical examiners. Aviation psychologists can help in many regards to regain full mental fitness", says Droog.

“High workload, pilot fatigue, and ‘atypical’ employment forms, like ‘zero-hours contracts’, self-employment or temporary contracts, become more common in our industry and put a lot of pressure on pilots, both physically and mentally,” says Capt. Dirk Polloczek, President of the European Cockpit Association, ECA. “It is therefore important that pilots can have trust in their aeromedical examiner; to allow them to openly share also issues that go beyond the purely physical demands of their job. To do so, maintaining the confidentiality of medical information is crucial. Also, the examiner should be aware of pilot Peer Support Programmes, which have proven successful in addressing health-related issues, while minimising career jeopardy and the possible stigma of seeking assistance,” says Polloczek.

Read online or Download full joint statement!

For further information, please contact:

Kevin Herbert, President, European Society of Aerospace Medicine (ESAM),
Tel: +44.77.10.20.24.92
André Droog, President, European Association for Aviation Psychology (EAAP),
Tel: +31.50.526.51.04
Dirk Polloczek, European Cockpit Association (ECA) President,
Tel: +32.2.705.32.93

PRESS RELEASE OF THE EUROPEAN COCKPIT ASSOCIATION, BRUSSELS, 27 JULY 2015

In a new position paper, ECA outlines the position of Europe’s professional pilots on the standards and rules necessary for the safe use of drones in EASA’s ‘Open’ category. Acknowledging the potential this technology has for innovation and benefit to society, it is absolutely critical that the technology is introduced safely, in particular with regard to existing manned aviation – a future accident involving drones in which people are seriously harmed will do far more damage to the industry’s development than carefully thought out, effective, efficient regulation. The following points summarise this paper.

The safety of human beings is paramount

It must always be the case that real people, whether in the air or on the ground, have their safety prioritised over the ability or right to operate a drone. It must be born in mind that most drones in the Open category will be mass market consumer products, may have significantly different capabilities in a few years, and any regulation needs to deal with this. This cannot happen without proper risk assessment, especially of midair collision risk.

Design requirements for the physical performance capability of drones in the Open category

There is a compromising lack of scientific and engineering research on the effects of drone collisions with aircraft. This must be conducted as a matter of urgency to assess and refine these or any other proposed technical standards. They include:

- Maximum achievable distance from pilot of less than 500m horizontally and 50m in height

- Auto avoidance of restricted areas e.g. by geo-fencing, or transponder technology

- Auto recovery in the event of loss of control

- Weight limited to 500g, subject to density, frangibility and part weight specifications that would prevent catastrophic damage to manned aviation

- Maximum speed to allow control, recognition and limit kinetic energy

- Colour, visibility and lighting standards to allow visual recognition and avoidance

- Marking and registration of the drone to allow tracing of pilot/operator.

Operational requirements for drones in the Open category:

- Unilateral obligation to avoid manned aviation

- Operation restricted to Visual Line of Sight (VLOS)

- No operation in the vicinity of third persons without their consent, or crowds

- No operation in areas with manned aviation (e.g. accident sites, operational traffic areas)

- Appropriate training / education of the drone pilot prior to operation;

- Operation only for recreational purposes. Commercial operation should be dealt with in the Specific or Regulated category

Mandatory insurance, non-punitive safety reporting obligations, and stricter rules for commercial operations all need to be part of the package too.

Read online or Download full position paper 

Press Release of the European Cockpit Association, Brussels, 13 July 2015

A small group of countries is pushing hastily for full liberalisation of the global airline industry, without safeguards, or consideration of the impact of such a move. The deal is currently on the table of ICAO Air Transport Regulatory Panel and crucially has the potential to reverse decades of progress and best practice in economic, labour and safety regulations.

“This is a TTIP for aviation, but at a global level – full scale, instant, worldwide liberalisation that would change the aviation industry overnight,” says Dirk Polloczek, President of the European Cockpit Association. “The fact that you don’t hear many voices against this agreement is not because there is a consensus, but because there is a deliberate and partisan effort to keep this deal off the radar.” “We find both the process of drafting this agreement as well as its content, nothing less than scandalous”.
The ICAO proposals consist of a Multilateral Agreement, 2 Protocols (on passengers and cargo) and a Multilateral Convention whose objective is both to fully liberalise market access for international air transport and to change the current rules on Ownership and Control (O&C) of airlines. Further to this, the drafting approach is focused on reducing the economic regulatory ‘burden’ on airlines, removing Government involvement in decisions and operations deemed to be commercial, and minimising the use of regulation in the Agreement’s text. There is not the slightest reference to other issues no less important, such as labour, fair competition or the environment.
This lack of such provisions clearly demonstrates how the original mandate of the two working groups set up by the panel “to ensure respect for the highest levels of safety and security and the principle of fair and equal opportunity for all States and their stakeholders” continues to be flagrantly ignored. These topics cannot be separated or left to be dealt with at a later stage.

The unintended consequences of liberalisation are already hard to deal with and this agreement proposal lacks any impact assessment. For example, there is no examination of the potential consequences of the proposed replacement of O&C provisions with “principle place of business”, notably without providing a definition of this concept. The notorious case of "Norwegian" has just recently illustrated the limits of this concept and the ease of setting up "letter box companies" with all the related safety and social consequences. What would happen if this is possible worldwide?

“We’ve only recently heard two airline CEOs who bluntly say they do not ‘give a damn’ about ILO conventions and fundamental rights. Clearly, more than goodwill is necessary when it comes to such important labour and environmental safeguards,” says Jon Horne, ECA Vice-President. “A balanced and fair multilateral air services agreement must contain at least the following: a robust social clause; strong fair competition provisions; strong provisions on ‘Principle Place of Business’ (including a clear definition) and ‘Ownership & Control’; and strong environmental sustainability provisions.”

If this worldwide Multilateral Agreement were to be signed and ratified as it stands it would replace hundreds of existing and carefully thought through bilateral agreements, and leave airline safety regulation to states chosen on the basis of vague and undefined notions of where an airline’s ‘Principle Place of Business’ might be declared. Such a radical change deserves more time and reflection.

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For further information, please contact:
Dirk Polloczek, ECA President, Tel: +32 2 705 32 93
Jon Horne, ECA Vice-President, Tel: +32 2 705 32 93

Note to editors: ECA is the representative body of European pilot associations, representing over 38.000 pilots from across Europe. Website: www.eurocockpit.be

Frankfurt, 2. July 2015

Pilot representatives of “Etihad partners' airlines" in Europe attended a meeting today in Frankfurt to exchange information. A general understanding was reached that one major common goal must be to ensure continued growth and secure employment for our pilots.