Joint Industry Statement on the Misuse of International Aeronautical Emergency Frequency 121.5 MHz
The Civil Air Navigation Services Organisation (CANSO), the International Air Transport Association (IATA), the International Federation of Air Line Pilots' Associations (IFALPA) and the International Federation of Air Traffic Controllers' Associations (IFATCA) have come together to issue this critical joint statement addressing the misuse of the International Aeronautical Emergency Frequency 121.5 MHz. This frequency, reserved exclusively for emergency communications, is vital to ensuring swift responses to distress situations. The inappropriate use of this frequency may pose a serious risk to flight safety, delaying critical assistance to those in need. We urge all aviation stakeholders to carefully consider the importance of safeguarding this frequency and to take immediate steps to ensure it is used strictly for its intended purposes.
Position Paper IFALPA: Pilot Participation in Safety Risk Assessments
IFALPA strongly supports the implementation and execution of thorough risk assessments by safety departments to ensure in-depth safety analysis. Most current risk assessment practices do not include pilot safety advocates from the Member Association. IFALPA recognizes the vital role of these frontline pilots in ensuring the highest standards of aviation safety. The positive effect on flight safety through risk assessments in the context of a functioning safety management system is well recognized (...)
Position Paper IFALPA: PED Smoke or Fire Response Kits
Some airlines have been providing containment bags or boxes to crew members as part of their Dangerous Goods smoke or fire response kits, to deal with a potential thermal runaway of PEDs. IFALPA believes that these items need to meet certain requirements before being considered suitable for use (...)
Position Paper IFALPA: Carriage of Persons on Cargo Aircraft
Reference is sometimes made to Dangerous Goods Regulations to determine which persons are allowed onboard commercial transport aircraft (both passenger and cargo). This determination is not the role of the DG regulatory structure and goes well beyond its scope. The final decision to accept any persons onboard should be left to the pilot-in-command (...)
Press Release IFALPA on Aircraft Accident at Japan’s Haneda Airport
The International Federation of Air Line Pilots’ Associations (IFALPA) is closely monitoring the developments related to the accident involving Japan Airlines flight 516, an A350 aircraft from Sapporo (CTS) to Tokyo Haneda (HND) and a DHC-8 aircraft. Our thoughts are with the friends and families of the five crew members that were onboard the DHC -8 aircraft (...)
Position Paper IFALPA: Protection of All Cockpit Recordings
Although ICAO Annex 13 para. 5.12 has clear provisions for the protection of "cockpit voice recordings, airborne image recordings and any transcripts from such recordings", there are no ICAO definitions of "cockpit voice recordings" and "airborne image recordings", which leaves it to the States to decide which recordings should fall under these provisions and which should not (...)
Position Paper IFALPA: Use of Flight Recorders
This paper is an update to, and supersedes 23POS11, of the same name. IFALPA acknowledges the contribution of Flight Recorders to accident and serious incident investigation, conducted by the relevant State Investigation Authorities in accordance with ICAO Annex 13. These investigations have formed the foundation of the current high level of aviation safety (...)
IFALPA Briefing Leaflet: Effects of Manipulated GNSS Signals on Aircraft and Mitigation Measures
Recent reports show that various civil aircraft have been subject to altered GNSS signals in Azerbaijan, Iran, Iraq, and Turkey. Manipulated GNSS signals can compromise aircraft navigation systems, potentially leading to complete navigation loss, with severe safety implications (...)
Position Paper IFALPA: Flights Into and Over Conflict Zones
Due to the dynamic political situation across the world, conflict zones persist and change, sometimes suddenly and/or unpredictably, exposing civil aviation to the risk of collateral damage or targeted attack. According to ICAO regulations, it is the responsibility of Member States to close any airspace over their territory in which the safety and security of air traffic cannot be guaranteed. Unfortunately, Member States do not adhere to this obligation in many cases (...)
Safety Bulletin IFALPA: Operating Aircraft with Deactivated Brakes
Recently, IFALPA has become aware that some aircraft are intentionally being operated with deactivated brakes or without a fully operational braking system. This Safety Bulletin highlights the potential safety consequences of these types of operations and presents some recommendations.