7 December 2020 - The impact of COVID-19 on the global air transport supply chain continues to be significant , with airlines struggling to cope with the unpredictable and ever-changing border restriction measures implemented by States. From the outset of the pandemic , these fluctuating border regulations impacted both the trave ling public and the transportation of crucial medical supplies . As a result, the International Civil Aviation Organization ( ICAO) Collaborative Arrangement for the Prevention and Management of Public Health Events in Civil Aviation (CAPSCA)made public their initial “Harmonized Guidance on Facilitating Cargo Flights and Protecting Crew during the COVID-19 Pandemic ”.

7 December 2020 - The International Air Transport Association (IATA) and the International Federation of Air Line Pilots’ Associations (IFALPA) jointly called on governments to follow the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) Council Aviation Recovery Task Force (CART) guidelines to exempt crews from COVID-19 testing that is applied to air travelers. The CART guidelines specifically recommend that crew members should not be subject to screening or restrictions applicable to other travelers. Furthermore, according to CART health screening methods for crew members should be as “non-invasive as possible.”

2 décembre 2020 - The discussion of expanding Satellite Voice Communications (SATVOICE) into the realm of Direct Controller - Pilot Communications (DCPC) and as a sole source of Long Range Communications Systems (LRCS) is evolving. Many shortcomings have been identified and specifications for new system development needs to resolve these shortcomings before SATVOICE can be approved as a substitute means of communication. The limitations of current systems must be accounted for and the risks mitigated. The areas include Human Machine Interface (HMI), DCPC, ATC Vectoring, Call priorities, Satellite limitations, avionics limitations, flight plans, and Short Code implementation.

2 décembre 2020 - With the increasing equipage of Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) in commercial air transports, and the growing constellation of GNSS, the future use of Geometric Altitude throughout the flight profile might be possible and will bring added benefits such as reduced vertical separation and complementing trajectory flight paths. Geometric Altitude might be introduced above 15,000 metres because all aircraft able to reach these levels are GNSS equipped, but biggest benefit is seen during approach and departure. IFALPA supports research into a possible future transition from Barometric Altitude to using Geometric Altitude for sub transition level en route, and approach operations.

2 décembre 2020 - The IFALPA Future Air Traffic Operations (IFATO) document is guidance material for representatives Member Associations to help bridge the current work program of the committees with projected future topics that will affect our technical work. It should reside between the current work in ICAO working groups and panels and the very high level 18POS03 - IFALPA Vision for the Future of Air Navigation and Weather Information document.

2 décembre 2020 - Advances in technology have resulted in the introduction of large numbers of small unmanned aircraft (UA), especially in populated areas. Commercial use is only expected to continue to expand. Many countries have adopted or are considering adoption of rules governing the operation of these new aircraft, also commonly referred to as unmanned aircraft systems (UAS), or “drones.”

01 December 2020. Following the recent EUROCONTROL report on TCAS RA compliance, IFALPA and IFATCA feel the need to send a reminder to the pilot and controller community.

6 novembre 2020 - There are numerous risks associated with reduced-crew and single-pilot operations. Most prominently, these risks stem from the increased workload for the remaining pilot, the elimination of a critical layer of monitoring and cross-checking and operating redundancy on the flight deck, and compromising the safety and security beyond acceptable levels of risk given the many variable emergency situations that may occur during a flight.

05 November 2020. Full details can be found in 20SAB08 – Special Procedures for In-Flight Contingencies in Oceanic Airspace. Attached here is an Air Line Pilots Association, International (ALPA-I) Operations Bulletin identifying special procedures for non-weather in-flight contingencies.

02 Novembre 2020 - Safe winter operations normally require special procedures by airline maintenance, engineering, ground crew, and de-icing personnel. In Finland, FINAVIA and TRAFICOM publish an annual Safety Bulletin on winter conditions. This bulletin focuses on operations in northern Finland but the content is relevant to other locations subject to similar weather. It provides excellent guidance for both flight crews and operators.