Aviation security and safety

Resolution 879 (1987)

Author(s):

Parliamentary Assembly

Origin

Text adopted by the Standing Committee, acting on behalf of the Assembly, on 1 July 1987. See Doc. 5752, report of the Committee on Economic Affairs and Development.

Thesaurus

The Assembly,

1. Having regard to the report on aviation security and safety presented by its Committee on Economic Affairs and Development (Doc. 5752);

2. Attaching the greatest importance to the strict implementation of the various legal instruments, recommendations and programmes in the field of security and safety of the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO), the European Civil Aviation Conference (ECAC) and the International Air Transport Association (IATA), and taking into account the work of the European Parliament in this field;

3. Recalling its Recommendation 1010 (1985) on aviation security, and reiterating its outrage at past acts of terrorism perpetrated against innocent passengers and crew of aircraft, and its deep concern at the fact that some countries do not implement fully the relevant international conventions and recommendations on the unlawful seizure of aircraft and on safety in the air;

4. Considering that it is the responsibility of governments to guarantee that there be no havens for criminals who have interfered unlawfully with civil aviation, and that boycott measures should be envisaged against airports and airlines of countries that show themselves tolerant towards acts of terrorism or breach the international conventions on air piracy, or do not offer adequate security;

5. Welcoming the decisions taken at the European Conference of Ministers responsible for Combating Terrorism, held in November 1986, notably the proposal that the closest counsellors of the Ministers responsible for Combating Terrorism study ways in which co-operation among the Council of Europe member states and between the latter and nonmember states could be extended;

6. Recognising that the safety record of the air transport industry continues to be at a high level, due in large part to the priority given to safety by airlines and governments, but noting that there has been growing public interest in safer procedures and practices (in cabin, air traffic control, human interaction, fleet maintenance), and supporting all action to this end,

7. Calls on the Council of Europe member states:

In respect of security:

7.1.1 to intensify their international co-operation in the fight against terrorism, to improve security, notably at airports. and to take stronger action to increase the protection of crews and passengers of civil aircraft;

7.1.2 fully to implement the resolution and statement on ECAC policy in the field of aviation security, adopted on 21 June 1985 and supplemented in 1987 by a chapter on the handling of hijacked aircraft;

7.1.3 to develop their bilateral and multilateral co-operation for combating terrorism, and to act firmly against terrorism involving abuse of diplomatic or consular privileges and immunities;

7.1.4 to ensure inspection of all passengers, without exception, including VIPs, diplomats, airline and airport staff and their baggage before boarding aircraft, while observing the rules on immunities and privileges of diplomats and on the protection of secrecy according to international law;

7.1.5 to support the elaboration within ICAO of a new legal instrument to make all acts of unlawful interference with civil aviation international offences requiring the prosecution or extradition of the perpetrators;

7.1.6 to implement fully Annex 17, on security, to the Chicago Convention with all its amendments, ICAO's security manual and the recommendations formulated by the experts of IATA following security surveys of airports with a view to maintaining and strengthening their security ;

7.1.7 to envisage appropriate sanctions against airports and airlines of countries that show themselves tolerant towards acts of aviation terrorism or breach the international conventions on the unlawful interference with civil aviation or security;

In respect of safety:

7.2.1 to continue their efforts to increase the safety of air transport notably by harmonising the various safety measures with the existing international standards in order to reduce the risk of human error. and to give full support to international co-operation in this field, especially to the current work within ICAO;

7.2.2 to adhere to the Joint Airworthiness Requirements Agreement No. 25 (JAR 25) on the registration of airplanes, and to recognise any registration of an airline in another state under JAR 25;

7.2.3 to work for the improvement and installation of fire-resistant seating fabrics and interior trim, floor-level emergency lights, improved and standardised life jackets and smoke detectors, and to consider the installation of smoke hoods within all passenger aircraft;

7.2.4 to support the idea of creating a high-level independent committee which would deal with suggestions and complaints relating to violations of air safety rules, produce an annual safety audit, including the analysis of accidents and incidents on European routes, and which would have the responsibility to act as a channel for public and industry comment on safety standards ;

7.2.5 carefully to analyse the incidence on safety of the increase in flights resulting from the liberalisation of national or international air transport policies, and to ensure that safety standards, particularly air traffic control, are not negatively affected by this development;

7.2.6 to intensify international co-operation with a view to making arrangements so that duty-free purchases are made on arrival, or to finding other adequate solutions to the safety hazards inherent in the transport of duty-free purchases ;

7.2.7 to strengthen European co-operation in the field of air traffic control, notably through Eurocontrol.