Runway Incursions, Risk Management, Advance Cockpits Among The Focus Areas

The day before the EBACE exhibition opens next month, the European Business Aviation Association (EBAA) and the National Business Aviation Association (NBAA) will jointly host a workshop dedicated to the safety issues facing aircraft operators in Europe. The European Business Aviation Safety Workshop will be held May 16ht at the Geneva Palexpo Conference Center, Hall 1, Meeting Room K, beginning at 0830.

Topics to be covered include:

• Preventing Runway Incursions and Excursions.
• Human Performance and Managing Risk.
• Advanced Technology Cockpits.
• The Role of Safety Management Systems (SMS) and other safety-related tools.

Additionally, the annual EBAA Safety of Flight Awards Ceremony will be held during a post-Workshop reception. This award honours operators who’ve demonstrated exemplary safety records.

“As business aviation resumes its position as the fastest-growing aviation sector in Europe after the low-cost carriers - meaning that we represent more than 7% of IFR traffic - it is all the more important that we redouble our efforts to deliver ever-improving safety performance, so that, even with such expansion, our safety record matches or exceeds the safety of the best airlines,” says Brian Humphries, EBAA President and CEO. “Indeed such excellence is vital if we are to retain our hard-won public and official confidence in the business aviation sector.”

The business aviation community has taken the lead in setting standards of best practice through such tools as the International Standard for Business Aircraft Operations (IS-BAO) as a cornerstone element in Safety Management Systems for business aviation. And just last year, EBAA developed and  published an Emergency Response Planning support tool, which likewise has been popular among operators.

“We must carry such initiatives down through everything we do, which is why we have arranged this workshop, focusing on the main safety challenges faced in Europe,” explains Ed Bolen, NBAA President and CEO. “We are  delighted to be working with our colleagues in EBAA and the UK Civil Aviation Authority to develop this event.” The European Business Aviation Safety Workshop is open to any operator of any business aircraft to attend free of charge.

FMI: www.ebaa.org, www.ebace.aero