Flight Safety Foundation and the European Regions Airline Association (ERA) recently signed a Memorandum of Cooperation to exchange relevant safety information and share materials, as well as consider working together on initiatives addressing pilot and engineering skills shortages. Below is the text of a news release distributed this week by ERA.
ERA and Flight Safety Foundation strengthens long-standing relationship
Recognising the power of collective action, ERA and Flight Safety Foundation have officially announced their signing of a Memorandum of Co-operation. Committed to closer working relations, the organisations will explore and identify areas of common interest in the field of aviation safety, benefiting both the association and foundation’s members and their key stakeholders, including regulators, passengers and shareholders.
The two organisations have agreed to exchange relevant safety information and share materials, as well as consider working together on initiatives addressing pilot and engineering skills shortages. The co-operation will also aim to strengthen the efforts in addressing emerging issues that have resulted from the continued growth and expansion of the air transport industry in Europe, including the complexities associated with limited airspace and FIR boundary challenges.
The Memorandum of Co-operation was solidified by ERA President Andrew Kelly and Dr Hassan Shahidi, President and CEO of Flight Safety Foundation, at ERA’s latest Air Safety Group meeting, held recently in Zagreb, Croatia.
ERA Director General, Montserrat Barriga, says: “ERA and Flight Safety Foundation have common priorities and by working together we aim to put our shared knowledge and experience to good use. We are pleased to formalise our relationship and through this co-operation will further strengthen our efforts in improving our industry’s safety culture, standards and performance.”
ERA and Flight Safety Foundation already have a successful history of co-operation, having co-hosted the Flight Safety Forum since 2013. This annual event, also held in collaboration with Eurocontrol, is a forum that highlights key safety topics in aviation and airline operations for hundreds of international aviation safety experts.
“The international aviation industry will benefit from increased co-operation and greater engagement between the foundation and ERA,” says Dr Hassan Shahidi, President and CEO of Flight Safety Foundation. “We look forward to continuing to collaborate with ERA on the annual Safety Forum and identifying new areas, such as safety performance measurement, where we can work together on behalf of our respective members and the broader aviation community.”
Notes to Editor:
Flight Safety Foundation is an international non-profit organisation exclusively chartered to provide impartial, independent, expert safety guidance and resources for the aviation and aerospace industry. Its membership includes more than 1,000 organisations and individuals in 150 countries. The foundation is based in Alexandria, Virginia, US.
Founded in 1980, ERA is a non-profit trade association representing 51 airlines and 153 companies involved in European air transport and is the only association representing the entire spectrum of companies involved in European aviation. The association promotes the interests of European airlines by lobbying the European Commission and other European regulatory bodies on policy matters, promoting the social and economic importance of air transport and its environmental commitments.