Greece Sets Safety Priority for Aviation Ecosystem

Maintaining Greece’s high performance with regard to safety standards and strengthening regulatory policies in the aviation sector topped the agenda of talks between Transport Minister Christos Staikouras and Acting Executive Director of the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) Luc Tytgat this week.

The working meeting comes after an International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) inspection which found improved performance. Checks were carried out as part of the USOAP (Universal Safety Oversight Audit Program), and covered airports, air navigation and flight standards as well as organization and legislation.

Additionally, assessment also focused on how effectively the Hellenic Civil Aviation Authority (HCAA) ensured adherence to international safety standards, prevention and early detection and action in case of security gaps.

According to Staikouras, Greece managed to increase the effective application of international standards in aviation from 69.1 percent to 74.89 percent compared to 69.3 percent which is the global average.

Greek Transport Minister Christos Staikouras and Acting Executive Director of the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) Luc Tytgat.

The two officials discussed ways to further improve performance, strengthen cooperation and enhance safety standards and regulatory policies in Greece.

In this direction, the minister approved the Code of Conduct of the HCAA, which defines the duties of the commander, members of the executive board and staff based on international standards.

“With planning, hard work and efficiency, steady steps are being taken to further strengthen aviation safety in Greece in accordance with European and international standards,” said Staikouras.