New system deployed to prevent unsafe aircraft from entering European airspace

In addition to the updated air safety list the Commission published today and in line with the European Union's endeavour to make European airspace as safe as possible, Eurocontrol is today deploying a new system to prevent unsafe aircraft from entering European airspace.

Since November 2016, any non-European aircraft that enters the Union needs to have a single safety authorisation valid throughout Europe called "third country operator authorisation" or TCO. The new system will alarm the Air Traffic Controllers of all Members States that an aircraft which does not have such an authorisation is trying to fly to the Union. The aircraft will then be denied access to the airspace of that Member State.

The new system is the result of close cooperation between the Commission, Eurocontrol and the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) in a joint effort to put in place the best possible enforcement tools for aviation safety.