ERA Group Talks Crash Preparedness
ERA plans to recommend to the European Aviation Safety Agency and the European Commission a set of standards emphasizing the importance of preparation for

ERA plans to recommend to the European Aviation Safety Agency and the European Commission a set of standards emphasizing the importance of preparation for handling the aftermath of aircraft accidents. In a move ERA director general Mike Ambrose characterized as a “very rare” case of airlines addressing accidents that have not yet happened, the regional operators’ group is partnering with global disaster-management service provider Kenyon International Emergency Services to produce emergency-response preparedness standards (ERPS).

Based on known problems, the ERPS standards take into account airports, alliances and code shares, business continuity, crisis communications, ground-handling agents, human support and assistance, insurance and management “on a mature, sensible, moderate basis.” As an introduction to the whole area of emergency response, Kenyon is offering regional airlines and airports a discounted-rate crisis management appraisal to measure their present ability to deal with such an event. The typically six-day analysis costs between $5,500 and $7,000 (before UK service tax).