AEA meets with head of European Aviation Safety Agency

Representatives of Europe’s major airlines had the opportunity on 19 January 2004 to meet with the Executive Director of the newly-created European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA), Mr Patrick Goudou who, with his senior directors for rulemaking and certification, paid a visit to the Brussels offices of the AEA. EASA has now been operational for almost four months, and already some progress has been made. Said AEA Secretary General Ulrich Schulte-Strathaus: “The main reason for the Agency is not so much safety-related, since current safety levels achieved in Europe are very high. It is not about creating another layer of bureaucracy, but rather about efficiency and pooling of resources. It is important that EASA helps to reduce the administrative burden to the airlines while continuing to maintain the high safety standards we experience here in Europe”. It was also important, he added, that EASA provide a real counterbalance to the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) which until now has given international air safety regulation a distinct American accent.

19 Jan 2004