EASA PUBLISHED A DOCUMENT ON NEW SAFETY ISSUES

May 5 The European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) published the document “Review of Aviation Safety Issues Arising from the war in Ukraine”. It lists issues that are recommended to be included in the risk management process of organizations.

The ongoing military invasion of Ukraine by the Russian Federation creates new security problems in the field of civil aviation and deepens existing ones. In order to inform about existing and potential risks and to facilitate their management, the European Union Aviation Safety Agency, with the help of Member States and the aviation industry, compiled a portfolio of aviation safety risks influenced by hostilities in Ukraine.

It describes 20 security issues that are requested to be paid attention to, assessed for their relevance in the activities of organizations and, if applicable, to be included in the organization’s risk management process:

1. Cyber ​​attacks
2. Securing an interval with an unidentified aircraft
3. Errors in the identification of civilian aircraft by ground military forces and military aircraft outside the conflict zone
4. Manipulation of the GPS signal that impairs navigation or tracking
5. Continuing airworthiness issues due to sanctions
6. Transition of a civilian airport to mixed civil and military operations
7. Leased aircraft appropriated by the Russian Federation
8. Lack of spare parts (except for aircraft)
9. Increased risk of airspace violations by military drones or aircraft departing from conflict zones
10. Non-standard operational air traffic routes, reservation of military zones outside the conflict zone
11. Unplanned/unexpected military flights
12. Non-standard military activities such as drone patrols or surveillance flights along the borders of the conflict zone
13. Inadvertent entry of civil traffic into prohibited/restricted airspace
14. Flight route congestion (hotspots)
15. Deterioration of skills and knowledge due to lack of recent practice
16. Crew fatigue from longer routes due to the need to avoid Russian airspace and conflict zones
17. Intermediate landings increase the risk
18. Diversions on other less known routes
19. A prolonged crisis may cause further financial stress for organizations after the COVID-19 pandemic
20. Cosmic radiation threat associated with new (polar) routes

More about it: https://www.easa.europa.eu/document-library/general-publications/review-aviation-safety-issues-arising-war-ukraine