With the 12th edition of the European Plan for Aviation Safety (EPAS), the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) is for the first time shortening the reference period from 5 years - as was previously the case - to 3 years. For all EASA member states and in relation to the reference period, the EPAS contains the key strategic priorities, the risks to the European air transport system and the measures required to mitigate risks and further improve European aviation safety.
The EPAS 2023 - 2025 is divided into 3 sub-areas (volumes), the structure and content of which are explained in more detail below.
Volume I: Strategic Priorities
According to EASA, the overall strategic objective for the EPAS reference period is to "promote a safe, sustainable and resilient air transport system capable of managing disruptions of all kinds". In particular, the focus is placed on the following points, among others:
- Management of the interdependencies of risks
- Implement competency-based training and assessment in all areas of aviation.
- Key Risk Areas (KRAs) identified by means of the European Risk Classification Scheme (ERCS)
- Secure and sustainable integration of future technologies and new business models
- Environmental protection to support the implementation of the European "Green Deal" (climate neutrality by 2050)
Volume II: EPAS Actions
Volume II includes a detailed listing and description of measures and activities that EASA will implement in the coming years. For the reference period 2023 - 2025, a total of 158 active EPAS measures are listed, 13 of which are newly included in the current report. In addition, a new category of measures has been defined: Implementation Support Task (IST) to support the roll-out of major new regulations.
Volume III: Safety Risk Portfolios
This chapter aims to present in more detail the methodology for analyzing and assessing safety risks in Europe, as well as their results, which make the measures from Volume II necessary. The so-called "Safety Risk Portolios" (SRPs) represent - to put it simply - a kind of list of safety risks related to air traffic that need to be mitigated at the European level. The SRPs are divided into categories (domains), as each category has certain specific features and requires specific expertise. In the current report, a new domain for SRPs has been introduced (Systemic and conjunctural), which specifically considers risks related to COVID-19 and the crisis situation in Ukraine.
While the focus areas in Volume I (Strategic Priorities) are set for the entire reference period (2023 - 2025), annual updates are expected for Volume II (Actions) and III (Safety Risk Portfolios).
More information on EPAS 2023- 2025 can be found here.
EPAS 2023-2025 Volume I
EPAS 2023-2025 Volume II
EPAS 2023-2025 Volume III