Safety Bulletin IFALPA: Suvarnabhumi International Airport (BKK)

The attached IATA Operational Notice alerts airlines of the ongoing risk to aircraft operations at BKK airport due to soft ground conditions affecting the taxiways, taxi lanes, and aircraft stands. Soft ground conditions or “soft spots” have been encountered and reported by flight crews and ground service providers at BKK since at least 2008.

Press Release ECA/IFALPA: Global Pilots on Ryanair Flight 4978

The International Federation of Air Line Pilots’ Associations (IFALPA) and the European Cockpit Association (ECA) fully share the concerns expressed by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) regarding the forced landing of Ryanair Flight 4978 in Minsk, Belarus, on 23 May. Pilots are concerned that the intervention of the Belarussian Air Force was enacted for political reasons, in contravention of the Chicago Convention, and amounts to an act of unlawful interference, bearing all the hallmarks of state-sponsored hijacking (...)

Safety Bulletin IFALPA: Operations in US Class A Airspace Without ATC Communications or ATC Surveillance

As part of its contingency planning for the closure of air traffic control facilities, also termed “ATC Zero” (ATC-0), the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is utilizing an airspace management strategy that allows operations during ATC-0 situations in Class A airspace. The ATC-0 operations are conducted without the availability of air traffic control (ATC) services, including aircraft-to-aircraft separation, ATC surveillance, and air-to-ground communications with air traffic controllers at an ATC facility such as an Air Route Traffic Control Center (ARTCC). Flight crews will generally be on their own to maintain safety in ATC-0 airspace.

Joint Safety Bulletin Occupational Health and Safety in the context of COVID

This joint bulletin (A joint publication with IATA, CANSO, and IFATCA on Safety Risk Assessments (SRA) on the effects of COVID on operations) is a result of the SRA and the webinar series Safely Navigating the Industry Recovery. It highlights key considerations with regards to the impacts of health measures on operational staff, the possible long-term impacts of COVID infections, and best practices for health measures.