October 11, (THEWILL) – The European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA), through the European Network of Civil Aviation Safety Investigation Authorities (ENCASIA), has expressed readiness to share the tenets of the European Co-ordination Centre for Accident and Incident Reporting Systems (ECCAIRS) with the Banjul Accord Group Accident Investigation Agency (BAGAIA), once the modalities are finalised by the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO).
This was made known at the ENCASIA Plenary holding 11th-12th October, 2022, at the Belgian Safety Investigation Authority, Federal Public Service Mobility and Transport, Brussels, Belgium, where a BAGAIA delegation, led by the BAGAIA Commissioner, Engineer Charles Irikefe Erhueh, in the company of Engr. Akin Olateru, AIB-Nigeria Commissioner, and Mr Prempeh Akwasi Agyeibi, Commissioner AAIB-Ghana, all under observer status.
According to EASA Senior International Cooperation Officer Sub-Sahara Africa Regional Coordinator, Yves Koning, who responded to the special requests by BAGAIA delegation, said consultations with ICAO on the modalities to implement ECCAIRS in other regions outside Europe is ongoing.
Mr Koning appreciating the requests, especially that of the ECCAIRS said, “Yes it is already being implemented in Europe, but they are finalising with ICAO on the modalities to implement it outside Europe. Once that is done it will now be extended to train the trainer.”
ECCAIRS is a cooperative network of civil aviation authorities and safety investigation authorities in Europe, a project being managed by the Joint Research Centre of the European Commission (DG JRC) on request of the Directorate General for Mobility and Transport (DG MOVE) and in close co-operation with the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA).
The ECCAIRS mission is to aid national and European transport entities in the collection, sharing and analysis of safety information in order to improve public transport safety. However, ENCASIA currently has 27 member states.
BAGAIA under the EU-ASA project, presented the request for peer reviews of processes in the regions where EU experts will do due diligence and provide reports afterwards.
Also BAGAIA requested for human capacity development and the ECCAIRS training of the new version.
The benefits of ECCAIRS is to complement the internal reporting system for the exchanges of safety data i.e. collecting, sharing and allowing analysis of Safety Data that enhances Aviation Safety.
About the Author
Anthony Awunor, is a business correspondent who holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Linguistics (UNILAG). He is also an alumnus of the Nigerian College of Aviation Technology (NCAT), Zaria Kaduna State. He lives in Lagos.
