In the current situation of COVID-19 crisis, ICAO EUR/NAT office continues to support the work of contributory bodies of European regional groups. Last week, 08-09 of April 2020 the 15th meeting of the ICAO EUR Regional Expert Safety Team (IE-REST/15) was conducted remotely on WEBEX platform. A total of 40 participants from 10 States, industry and 5 International/Regional Organizations (ICAO, EASA, EUROCONTROL, IATA, IAC) managed to find time in their busy schedules to attend the meeting and contribute to the support of implementation of safety enhancement initiatives in the areas of pilot training, runway safety, safety data reporting and taxonomy, safety oversight in the area of air navigation service provisions, prevention of controlled flight into terrain (CFIT) accidents and others. In addition, the IE-REST noted with interest the information provided by ICAO Secretariat with regards to operational measures to ensure safe operations during the COVID-19 pandemic, in reference to ICAO State letter AN 11/55-20/50 dated 03 April 2020. The meeting was also the occasion to raise awareness about the current Search and Rescue (SAR) activities in the EUR Region and share solutions on how to address Regional SAR implementation matters. Regardless of the current circumstances safety remains to be top priority for all aviation industry who is committed to ensure that all flights are reaching their destinations.
