Ukraine and Spain work for a Common Airspace

In order to be part of the European Union, candidate countries have to adapt their regulations and align themselves with the 27 member states. Through the SAFER-U, project funded by the European Union and managed by FIIAPP, Ukraine is engaged in this pre-accession process with the support of the EU on air transport issues.   

This cooperation project seeks to integrate the rules governing commercial air transport activities in Ukraine into the European regulatory system. SAFER-U, managed by the FIIAPP, is led by the State Aviation Safety Agency (AESA) and the UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA UK). Both institutions are working hand in hand with their counterpart in Ukraine, the State Aviation Administration of Ukraine (SAAU).  

By 31 December this year, when the new rules replace the previous ones, Ukraine will have taken a great step forward on the path towards integration into the European Union. The results of this project are a requirement for Ukraine’s entry into the European Common Aviation Area agreement. After several years’ delay, it was approved by the Council of the European Union at the end of June and will be ratified in October this year.    

What benefits will this integration of Ukrainian civil aviation have? The European regulatory system will provide air operations with a safety umbrella, the level of which can never be achieved with standards developed at the national level. Meanwhile, the certification of its products according to the European criteria will provide a seal of quality to the strong Ukrainian aerospace industry and will open up new lines of business.  

After two and a half years in operation, a follow-up meeting was held in which all parties highlighted the great work done so far. Proof of this is the agreement reached to extend the duration of the project and strengthen Ukraine-EU relations. 

The project centred on three phases: flight operations, the organisation of crew training programmes – both pilots and cabin crew – and requirements that must be met in order to have a crew license. In addition to verifying that the European regulations and those that Ukraine has adapted and integrated into its legislative body are the same, the project has designed and delivered an extensive training programme to facilitate the proper implementation of the new regulations and the evolution of the Ukrainian State Authority and industry.