France's civil aviation authority, the DGAC, is about to have its reorganisation plan ratified by the government. The change, fundamentally a separation of regulation from service provision, will definitely proceed, the DGAC says - the government's approval is just a rubber stamp, writes David Learmount.
The reorganisation will be "by function, not by sector", says the DGAC, which will continue to exist as the rulemaker for safety, environmental and international issues and economic regulation, and will contain a safety oversight wing, to be known as the DCS.
However, its air navigation service provider function, DSNA, is to become an autonomous entity under the DGAC's regulatory and safety oversight.
Other DGAC organisations that provide training for controllers, pilots and engineers, as well as research and development, will also be made autonomous.
DGAC says these moves are part of a general modernisation of state agencies in France to make them more transparent, accountable and responsive, and comply with European requirements. Formal government approval of the new structure will come within "a few weeks", says the DGAC.
Source: Flight International
