Background

The European Community Safety Assessment of Foreign Aircraft (SAFA) programme began in 1996 as a voluntary ECAC programme. Its legal basis has been established by Directive 2004/36/CE of the European Parliament and of the Council of 21 April 2004 on the safety of third-country aircraft using Community airports (the so-called “SAFA Directive”) and complemented by Regulation (EC) No 2111/2005 on the establishment of a list of air carriers subject to an operating ban within the European Community. Under this legislation, international safety standards have been enforced within the European Community by means of ramp inspections (or “ramp checks”) on third-country aircraft landing at airports located in the EU Member States.