ECA News : Summer fatigue alert

Jul 29, 2019 - Summer is here and with it – delays, cancellations and further fatigue from overstretched ultra-busy summer rosters. Some airlines have taken precautionary measures, trying to reduce delays by adding ‘buffers’, incl. additional aircraft & crew on standby and longer turnaround times.

ECA Press Release: EU Commission finds critical flaws in airline employment practices

Brussels, 1 March 2019 - A long-awaited wake-up call to EU Member States and an Expert Group are the two essential elements of the EU Commission’s new plan to prevent social abuses in aviation. Published today by the Commission, it outlines the ‘Social Agenda’ for air crew, with the aim of achieving ‘socially responsible air transport’ in Europe. Its primary targets are airlines and temporary agencies, some of which are using loopholes and lack of enforcement of EU and national social legislation.

ECA Press Release: New year, same threats to Ryanair pilots

Brussels, 16 January 2019 - 2018 was a pivotal year for Ryanair and its pilots and cabin crew, engaging in the previously unchartered territory of social dialogue. As negotiations on Collective Labour Agreements (CLAs) continue at varying speeds throughout Europe, Ryanair persists in using threats as a bargaining tool. Within the first three days of 2019, in negotiations with cabin crew unions in Spain, Ryanair threatened closure of two bases in the Canary Islands if the cabin crew did not sign CLAs by the 18 Jan 2019.

ECA Piloting safety : Crew Interoperability – the bigger picture

26 juin 2018 - Crew Interoperability enables the possibility for a flight crew member to fly for two or more AOCs without undergoing an Operator Conversion Course (OCC). There are several fields where Crew Interoperability facilitated by EASA rules could create legal challenges and obstacles and entail potential risk. In particular, Social & Legal, Safety, Data Protection, Anti-Competitive and Oversight & Accountability Aspects could be affected.

ECA Piloting safety : Protection from Ionizing Radiation – Position paper

Juin 2018 - The airline pilot operates in an environment with exposure to circadian dysrhythmia, chronic fatigue, reduced atmospheric pressure, mild hypoxia, low humidity, and exposure to sound, vibration, radiation (both ionizing and non-ionizing), and electromagnetic fields. These occupational exposures present physiological challenges to their long-term health.

ECA Piloting safety : Prevention & Prosecution of Unruly Passengers

13 décembre 2017 - ICAO defines an unruly passenger as : “a passenger who fails to respect the rules of conduct at an airport or on board an aircraft or to follow the instructions of the airport staff or crew members and thereby disturbs the good order and discipline at an airport or on board the aircraft”. Unruly behaviour includes assault of other passengers or crew, sexual abuse or harassment, abusive consumption of alcohol and/or narcotics, refusal to comply with safety instructions, making threats that could affect the safety and security of the crew, passengers and aircraft, and other types of disorderly behaviour that impact good order and discipline on board.

ECA Piloting safety : Guidelines on smoke & fume / smell events

25 mai 2017 - Les événements liés à la fumée et aux odeurs / fumées, généralement dénommés «contamination de l'air en cabine», ont récemment été mis en évidence comme une menace potentielle pour la sécurité aérienne. Dans ce contexte, le groupe de travail de l’European Cockpit Association  dédié à cette problématique, et dans lequel un membre du SNPL est présent,  propose un ensemble de directives sur la manière de traiter ces événements liés aux odeurs et aux fumées.