Washington DC-based AviationManuals is now offering a SAFA (Safety Assessment of Foreign Aircraft) binder that helps operators manage and demonstrate compliance when flying in and out of EASA countries, as well as other countries that participate in SAFA.

A list of over 50 items can potentially be checked when flying into or out of any with which the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) has signed a working arrangement on SAFA. Non-compliance with many of those items could significantly delay or even ground an aircraft.

“Our objective is always to make things easy for an operator. With our SAFA binder we are offering a tool that provides an operator oversight as to what they need to have in place, as well as offering an inspector a quick way to see that everything is in order,” says CEO Mark Baier. “Our binder is segmented by each inspected category, includes an introduction on the applicability of SAFA beyond EU countries, and outlines what an inspection might look like.”

More than 13,000 ramp inspections took place in 2017, impacting more than 7,500 aircraft according to the latest figures issued by EASA. Incorrect fuel calculations and flight plans, operators not having an MEL and the cabin not being secure upon arrival are some of the main findings cited by customers.

“Tire wear, hydraulic fluid or oil leaks, missing safety equipment for the cabin and cockpit, as well as licences, updated manuals and cargo manifests are typical inspection items,” Baier continues. “We address each item with evidence in the form of pictures and excerpts from manuals for instance, so operators can easily identify and demonstrate compliance.”

SAFA inspections are part of a European Union safety programme that impacts all EU member states, as well as Iceland, Norway and Switzerland, and all non-European countries that have signed a working arrangement on SAFA, which includes Canada.