Flight International online news 09:00GMT: Airline blacklists are “not the answer” to improving aviation safety, says US FAA administrator Marion Blakey.
Speaking today at the 2nd Annual FAA International Aviation Safety Forum in Chantilly, Virginia, Blakey dismissed the idea of producing publicly available lists of airlines that are banned from operating in certain countries because of safety concerns. Instead, increased government oversight is what is needed, she says.
“Blacklists are not the answer – action by government agencies to oversee is the answer,” notes Blakey.
However, these comments are strongly opposed by the director general of France’s civil aviation authority (DGAC), Michel Wachenheim, who says that “the public has a right to know if an airline is banned in a country”. While airline blacklists are “not the ultimate solution”, says Wachenheim, they respond to a “strong demand on behalf of the public”.
The European Parliament transportation committee on October 13 overwhelmingly voted in favor of the creation of a single European Community-wide airline blacklist.
Blakey also spoke today about the merits of required navigation performance (RNP) technology, and encouraged the spread of this technology.
“RNP improves safety at all stages and reduces fuel costs and I encourage that we move ahead with this,” she says.
Improving aviation safety in the future also depends on “sharing and analyzing safety information”, says Blakey. “Data sharing is hard but the aviation community needs to pull together on this and say that it’s critical. This is an issue that has got to be resolved.”
Source: Flight International
