ESARR 1 - Safety Oversight in ATM

Description

ESARR 1 provides a set of safety regulatory requirements for the implementation of an effective safety oversight function in EUROCONTROL Member States. Its provisions support a process approach to the safety oversight of the ATM service providers and define the minimum elements that must exist in the safety oversight processes deployed by national regulatory authorities.

The requirement addresses the critical elements of the safety oversight process to ensure a robust supervision of safety. The following main processes are required for implementation by national regulatory authorities:

• Regular monitoring and assessment of safety levels achieved by the service providers against the target (tolerable) levels of safety determined for the respective airspace volumes.
• Verification of compliance with the applicable safety regulatory requirements established by the rule making body and other safety related conditions and arrangements needed to implement them.
• Safety regulatory auditing as the means to obtain objective evidence of compliance with the applicable safety regulatory requirements.
• Safety oversight of new systems and changes to the ATM system, which is built around the review of safety arguments proposed by the service providers consistent with the safety regulatory framework in which they operate.

It is important to note that ESARR 1 addresses the safety oversight processes, their principles and interrelated elements and outputs without identifying the set of applicable safety regulatory requirements which constitute the regulatory reference for verification. That reference depends on the actual regulatory framework enforced through the specific state regulatory process.

In the EU-countries, the applicable safety regulatory requirements will be established around the common rulemaking activities foreseen by the regulatory framework. International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) standards, ESARRs, EC Common Requirements (CRs) and other rules and standards related to international obligations will continue to provide common elements to all safety regulatory frameworks in the European Civil Aviation Conference (ECAC) region.

ESARR 1 includes provisions intended to harmonise the capabilities of the safety oversight function, notably those related to the levels of resources available and the qualification of the safety oversight personnel. Additionally, specific processes are required to address the resolution of safety issues and the implementation of means to ensure the transparency of all safety oversight processes and ease the auditing of safety oversight frameworks operated by ECAC states.

ESARR 1 is designed to support the implementation of the Single European Sky (SES) by allowing the development of ATM safety oversight within the functions of the National Supervisory Authority (NSA) and the regulatory framework defined in the SES regulations.

Note: The term "ATM system" used above denotes the three system components "people, procedures and equipment" as well as their interaction in the provision of ATS.

Transposition into Community Law

ESARR 1 has been transposed into European Community law by Regulation (EU) No 1034/2011 of 17 October 2011 on safety oversight in air traffic management and air navigation services which was repealed in 2020 by Regulation 2017/373.

For more detailed information go to article: Transposition of ESARRs into Community Law

Further Reading

EUROCONTROL

• ESARR 1 - Safety Oversight in ATM;
• ESARR 1 in the Certification and Designation of Service Providers;
• Explanatory Material on ESARR 1 Requirements;
• Guidance on the Criteria for the Assessment of Compliance with the Standards of ICAO Annex 11;
• Guidelines for Safety Regulatory Auditing.
• Guidelines for safety oversight of changes to ATM
• Consistency between ESARRs and ICAO STANDARDS AND RECOMMENDED PRACTICES
• ECAC State's ATM Regulatory Systems Overview