EUR RASP

 

The main objective of this European Regional Aviation Safety Plan (hereafter EUR RASP) is to create a common focus on regional aviation safety issues as a continuation of the European work to improve aviation safety and to comply with ICAO standards. This approach complements the existing system of developing safety regulations, complying with them and investigating accidents and serious incidents when they occur.

The EUR RASP adds a proactive element to the current system by closing the safety management cycle and connecting the safety issues at regional level with the action plans and initiatives launched to mitigate the underlying risks.

The EUR RASP establishes the first layer of priorities which is further complemented at national level by national aviation safety plans (NASPs), framed under the State Safety Programmes. It builds a network for action, thus coordination and close collaboration are key to keeping it up to date and effective.

Since 2017, the ICAO Regional Office for the EUR region and EASA have been working together to develop a Regional Aviation Safety Plan (RASP) based on the European Plan for Aviation Safety (EPAS), thus allowing all States that are part of the EUR region to benefit from this approach. This leverages the European Safety Risk Management (SRM) process for the entire EUR region.

The first EUR RASP edition covering the period 2019-2023 was issued on 31 January 2019 following endorsement at the combined meeting of the coordination groups of the European Air Navigation Planning Group (EANPG) and Regional Aviation Safety Group – EUR region (RASG-EUR) of ICAO. The second EUR RASP edition, covering the period 2020-2022, was adopted in June 2020. The third EUR RASP edition, covering period 2022-2024 was adopted by European Aviation System Planning Group (EASPG) during its third meeting in December 2021. The forth EUR RASP edition, covering period 2023-2025, was adopted by European Aviation System Planning Group (EASPG) via correspondence during remote consultation period in June 2023.

The EUR RASP is updated on a yearly basis, in order to maintain alignment with GASP and EPAS. There were no significant changes were made to the strategic priorities indicated in GASP 2023-2025 and EPAS 2023-2025, accordingly, the strategic priorities in this EUR RASP edition remain stable.

This edition was prepared by the ICAO EUR Regional Expert Safety Group (RESG) and dedicated Regional Aviation Safety Plan Working Group reporting to RESG. These working groups were created within the European Aviation System Planning Group (EASPG) structure to support the development and implementation of the EUR RASP, including safety enhancement initiatives and activities, in line with the objectives of the EASPG.

From 2022 onwards the EUR RASP planning activity is followed up by a reporting phase, during which progress on action implementation and more generally, progress with SSP and NASP implementation, is assessed by means of a dedicated monitoring survey. The data and information gathered will feed not only subsequent planning cycles, but also the EUR RASP implementation reports and EUR annual safety reports (ASR) produced by the ICAO EUR/NAT Regional Office.

Latest EUR RASP 2023 Implementation Report is available here