Safety Assessment Of Foreign Aircraft

(EC SAFA Programme)

Introduction
This explains the European Community Safety Assessment of Foreign Aircraft (SAFA)
programme established by the European Commission (EC) and the role and responsibilities the
European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) has in it.

International Requirements
International civil aviation is governed by the Convention on International Civil Aviation
(commonly known as the Chicago Convention). Under this Convention, the International Civil
Aviation Organisation (ICAO), a specialised agency of the United Nations, sets the minimum
Standards and Recommended Practices for international civil aviation. These standards are
contained in 18 Annexes to the Convention. Individual States remain responsible for regulating
their aviation industries but have to take into account the requirements of the Convention and the
minimum standards established by ICAO.
The main standards that apply to airlines are in three of the 18 Annexes.

Annex 1 deals with personnel licensing including flight crew

Annex 6 deals with the operation of aircraft
Annex 8 deals with airworthiness.

The responsibility for implementing Annexes 1 and 8 rests with the State of Registry, that is the
State in which the aircraft is registered. The responsibility for implementing Annex 6 rests with
the State of Operator, the State in which the airline is based. Often the State of Operator and the
State of Registry will be the same, as airlines tend to operate aircraft registered in the State in
which they are based.
Significant increases in the volume of air travel over the last decades or so have made it more of
a burden for many States to oversee their airlines in compliance with the Chicago Convention.
To maintain confidence in the system, and to protect the interest of the European citizens who
may be living in the vicinity of airports or travelling onboard a third-country aircraft, the
Community identified the need to effectively enforce international safety standards within the
Community. This is done through the execution of ramp inspections on third-country aircraft
landing at the airports located in the Member States. The official definition of 'third-country
aircraft' is an aircraft which is not used or operated under the control of a competent authority of
a Community Member State.

What is the EC SAFA Programme ?

The principles of the programme are simple: in each EU Member State and those States who
have entered into a specific 'SAFA' Working Arrangement with EASA (*), third country aircraft
may be inspected. These inspections follow a procedure common to all Member States and are
then reported on using a common format. If an inspection identifies significant irregularities,
these will be taken up with the airline and the oversight authority. Where irregularities have an
immediate impact on safety, inspectors can demand corrective action before they allow the
aircraft to leave.
(*) The 42 Member States engaged in the EC SAFA Programme are: Albania, Armenia, Austria,
Azerbaijan, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic,
Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy,
Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Moldova, Monaco, Netherlands, Norway, Poland,
Portugal, Republic of Georgia, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden,
Switzerland, The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Turkey, United Kingdom, Ukraine.
All reported data is stored centrally in a computerized database set up by EASA. The database
also holds supplementary information, such as lists of actions carried out following inspections.
The information held within this database is reviewed and analyzed by EASA on a regular basis.
The European Commission and Member States are informed of any potentially safety hazards
identified. On behalf of and in close cooperation with the European Commission EASA will
develop qualitative criteria with the aim to achieve a more focussed approach regarding the
SAFA inspection priorities.
Although there is a legal obligation to perform inspections on third country aircraft, there is no
objection that Member States inspect airlines from other Member States engaged in the EC
SAFA Programme.
It has to be stressed that SAFA inspections are limited to on-the-spot assessments and cannot
substitute for proper regulatory oversight. Ramp inspections serve as pointers, but they cannot
guarantee the airworthiness of a particular aircraft.

How is it organised and who are the main stakeholders ?

In the EC SAFA Programme there are many stakeholders participating: the European
Commission (EC), EASA, the Member States and Eurocontrol. They come together regularly in
the Air Safety Committee meetings (ASC) and the European SAFA Steering expert Group
(ESSG) meetings.

The European Commission carries overall responsibility and has the legislative powers. EASA is
responsible for some specific executive tasks as specified in Commission Regulation 768
(regarding the collection and exchange of information on the safety of aircraft using Community
airports and the management of the information system). The specified role and responsibilities
of EASA in the EC SAFA Programme are:

collect by means of a centralised database the inspection reports of the Member States engaged
in the EC SAFA Programme;
maintain and further develop the centralised database;
analyse all relevant information concerning the safety of aircraft and its operators;
report potential aviation safety problems to European Commission and the Member States;
advise the European Commission and the Member States on follow-up actions;
advise on the future development and strategy of the EC SAFA Programme;
develop SAFA procedures;
develop training programmes and foster its organisation and implementation;

Based upon its technical expertise EASA supports the EC with the implementation of the EC
SAFA programme in the Community and as such ensuring that appropriate follow-up measures
are initiated based upon the SAFA inspection that have been performed.
The Member States that are engaged in the EC SAFA programme (being either an EU Member
State or a non-EU ECAC Member State who have entered into a Working Arrangement with
EASA) are obliged to perform SAFA Ramp Checks on the aircraft of third country operators
flying into their state. And, when needed, take appropriate corrective measures in addition to
disseminate the results of these inspections to other participants in the EC SAFA programme.
The Eurocontrol organisation provides Flight Plan information to the Member States, the EC and
EASA regarding aircraft subject to an operational measure such as a banning.
In the Air Safety Committee (ASC) the EU Member States are represented having an
(legislative) advisory role regarding in particular through performance of the following tasks:

assist the European Commission with the adoption of harmonised implementation measures in
order to enhance the effectiveness of the EC SAFA programme such as the approval of SAFA
procedures;
assist the European Commission with decisions related to corrective measures taken in respect
of specific operators or operators of a specific third country (Community List).

In the European SAFA Steering expert Group (ESSG) the non-EU ECAC Member States
engaged in the EC SAFA Programme together with the EU Member States are represented
having an (technical) advisory role regarding in particular through performance of the following
tasks:

Assisting the European Commission (in a consultative role) in relation to proposals from EASA
prior to their submission to the ASC, regarding the overall safety oversight policy of the EC SAFA
programme, possible actions to be taken in specific safety cases and recommendations for the
further development of the SAFA programme, including the amendment of SAFA procedures;
Communicating to the Commission feedback upon the national implementation of the SAFA
programme in their State;
Reviewing and reacting upon the SAFA Database analysis which EASA is required to conduct on a
frequent basis.

Which aircraft and operators are checked and how often ?

Oversight authorities of the Member States engaged in the EC SAFA Programme choose which
aircraft to inspect. Some authorities carry out random inspections while others try to target
aircraft or airlines that they suspect may not comply with ICAO standards. In either case only a
very small proportion of third country aircraft operating into each State are inspected.
Depending on the volume of third country flights and the availability of inspectors in each
Member State, the number of inspections may vary from relatively few to several hundred each
year.

What is checked ?
Checks may include

licences of the pilots;

procedures and manuals that should be carried in the cockpit;
compliance with these procedures by flight and cabin crew;
safety equipment in cockpit and cabin;
cargo carried in the aircraft; and
the technical condition of the aircraft.

How are checks performed ?

A checklist of 54 inspection items is used during a SAFA Ramp Check. As the time between
arrival and departure (the turn-around time) may not be sufficient to go through the full checklist,
not all 54 items may be inspected. It is SAFA policy not to delay an aircraft except for safety
reasons.
Since the programme began in 1996 as a voluntary ECAC programme, the Member States have
performed some 37,000 SAFA inspections (status February 2007).

Results
Obviously any major findings will immediately be communicated to all concerned parties. In
cases of more serious findings, the oversight authority of the Member State that performed the
ramp check will contact its counterpart in the State responsible for the airline, passing on its
findings and asking for any necessary corrective actions. The oversight authority will also inform
the
aircraft's
captain
and
the
headquarters
of
the
airline.
When findings directly affect the safety of the aircraft, its crew and passengers, the Authority of
the State of inspection may request immediate corrective action before the aircraft can take off. If
rectification of the deficiencies requires more time or needs to be performed at another airport,
the Authority of the State of inspection may, in coordination with the State responsible for the
operation of the aircraft concerned or the State of registration of the aircraft, decide to authorise a
positioning flight (a flight to a specific destination without passengers or cargo onboard) and also
prescribe the necessary conditions under which the aircraft can be allowed to fly to that specific
airport.
In general all inspection results need to be communicated by the State which performed the
inspections to the other EU Member States and to the European Commission.
Whenever an inspection shows the existence of a potential safety threat, or shows that an aircraft
does not comply with international safety standards and may pose a potential safety threat, the
inspection report will need to be communicated without delay to each EU Member State and the
European Commission. In accordance with Regulation 2111/2005 (establishment of a
Community list of air carriers subject to an operating ban within the Community) and based
upon various other sources of information, the European Commission may decide upon an
operating ban in the Community. Further details can be found on the EC website.

SAFA Contact Points

All matters pertaining to a particular ramp inspection (for example: communication of follow-up
actions, requests for clarifications) should be addressed to the competent authority that
performed the inspection.

Applicable SAFA legislation

Directive 2004/36/EC

On 21 April 2004 a new Directive (Ref: Directive 2004/36/CE of the European Parliament and
of the Council of 21 April 2004 on the safety of third-country aircraft using Community airports,
published in the Official Journal L 143 of 30 April 2004 and amended by Regulation 2111/2005,
Official Journal L 344 of 27 December 2005) was adopted whereby international safety
standards will be enforced within the Community by means of ramp inspections on third-country
aircraft landing at airports located in the Member States (the so-called "SAFA Directive"). This
"SAFA Directive", provides a legal requirement for EU Member States to perform inspections
and as such participate in the EC SAFA programme. The Regulation (EC) No 2111/2005 on

"The establishment of a Community list of air carriers subject to an operating ban within he
Community and on informing air transport passengers of the identity of the operating air carrier"
provides a provision for a decision making process whereby an airline may be banned from
European airspace for safety reasons. Those airlines will then appear on a list, the so-called
"Community list".

Commission Directive 2008/49/EC

Commission Directive 2008/49/EC of 16 April 2008 amending Annex II to Directive 2004/36/EC

of the European Parliament and of the Council regarding the criteria for the conduct of ramp
inspections on aircraft using Community airports.

Article 2 of this Directive required EASA to develop the Guidance Material to be applied by the
Member States. By means of ED Decisions, the Guidance Material for the Qualification of
Inspectors and for SAFA Ramp Inspections were adopted.

Commission Regulation (EC) No 768/2006

Commission Regulation (EC) No 768/2006

The European Commission has adopted on 19 May 2006 a new Regulation (Ref: Commission
Regulation (EC) No 768/2006, published in the Official Journal L 134/16 of 20 May 2006)
implementing Directive 2004/36/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council as regards
the collection and exchange of information on the safety of aircraft using Community airports
and the management of the information system. This Commission Regulation forms the legal
instrument whereby EASA as of 1 January 2007 is responsible for coordination of the EC SAFA
Programme.

Commission Regulation (EC) No 351/2008

Commission Regulation (EC) No 351/2008 of 16 April 2008 implementing Directive 2004/36/EC

of the European Parliament and of the Council as regards the prioritisation of ramp inspections
on aircraft using Community airports.

Aggregated reports
The Commission Regulation 768/2006 puts an obligation on EASA to prepare for the
Commission on a yearly basis a proposal for a public aggregated information report regarding
the information collected from the Member States in accordance with the Directive
2004/36/EC.The aggregated report is published by the European Commission in all European
languages.

Working arrangements
Commission Regulation (EC) No 768/2006 requires EASA to perform certain specific management tasks
related to the EC SAFA Programme. In addition this Commission Regulation puts some obligations on EU
Member States. For those non-EU ECAC Member States who wanted to continue participating in the EC
SAFA Programme and who were previously participating in the voluntary ECAC SAFA Programme a
dedicated Working Arrangement was signed between the State concerned and EASA. Following States
have signed the Working Arrangement:

Albania
Armenia
Azerbaijan
Bosnia-Herzegovina
Croatia
Georgia
Iceland
Macedonia
Moldova
Monaco
Morocco
Norway
Serbia
Switzerland
Turkey
Ukraine

International
Working Arrangements between EASA and several Civil Aviation Authorities of ECAC-non-EU
Member States on collection and exchange of information on the safety of aircraft using
community airports and the airports of the relevant country.

Historical overview
In 1996 ECAC launched the voluntary SAFA programme. ECAC Member States participating in
the programme were requested to perform SAFA Ramp Checks on foreign operators flying into
their territory. The operational management of the SAFA programme was performed by the Joint
Aviation Authorities (JAA), the associated body of ECAC.
Each year ECAC published a public report containing an overview of the major milestones of the
programme. They may be downloaded below.