Cyprus’ Department of Civil Aviation carried out four on-site inspections of aircraft operated by the Ryanair Group over the past two years, with no findings of sufficient seriousness to warrant immediate restrictive measures or raise concerns about the safety of the group’s operations in the Republic.
The figures were provided to Parliament by former Transport, Communications and Works Minister Alexis Vafeades in response to a question submitted on 13 July by Limassol MP Efraim Christou, following an incident involving a Ryanair flight from Thessaloniki to Munich.
Malta's oversight
According to Vafeades, the Department of Civil Aviation has been informed of the incident and is monitoring the investigation, which is being conducted by the competent Greek authorities.
The department will assess any information or safety recommendations issued by the relevant authorities or the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) and, if necessary, take the appropriate measures.
Vafeades also clarified that the aircraft involved in the incident, registered as 9H-QEU, belongs to Malta Air Ltd, a Ryanair Group company which holds an Air Operator Certificate (AOC) issued by the Maltese Civil Aviation Authority.
As a result, the Maltese authority is responsible for the company’s continuous oversight.
Inspection frequency
The Cyprus Civil Aviation Authority, however, has the power to conduct inspections of aircraft operated by foreign air carriers flying to and from Cypriot airports under the European SAFA/SACA inspection programme.
The inspections are intended to verify that aircraft comply with applicable safety requirements. Where serious findings are identified, corrective or restrictive measures can be imposed.
According to the minister’s response, any findings identified during the four inspections of Ryanair Group aircraft carried out over the past two years were dealt with through the prescribed corrective-action procedures.
On the possibility of increasing the frequency of inspections, Vafeades said the department’s inspection programme and targeting are determined on the basis of risk assessment, available safety data, the results of previous inspections and information exchanged between EU member states and EASA.
Additional measures
Should new information or safety recommendations emerge, additional measures will be considered in cooperation with the relevant European authorities, he said.
Vafeades also noted that Cyprus has a mechanism for receiving immediate notification of significant safety incidents occurring outside the Republic but involving air carriers operating in Cyprus.
Through EASA and cooperation between European aviation authorities, the Department of Civil Aviation receives relevant information in a timely manner and assesses it as part of its oversight activities.
The former minister stressed that aviation safety in the EU is governed by a common and stringent regulatory framework, implemented by all member states under EASA oversight.
The Ministry of Transport and the Department of Civil Aviation will continue to monitor issues relating to flight safety in the Republic of Cyprus, he added.
Source: CNA
