Dear Members,

Today, there is some good news: A broad coalition of stakeholders has joined forces to reform the NOTAM system. Unquestionably overdue, since technologically advanced formats have been available for a long time and we need to tap their potential!

Therefore, we are grateful for the initiative of our world association IFALPA and the other stakeholders such as OPS Group and ICAO.

Our day-to-day work in flight preparation is made unnecessarily difficult by the antiquated format of NOTAMs, their inadequate preparation and the sheer mass of - at least for the majority of commercial flights - largely meaningless information. The fact that this situation can contribute to overlooking the really important information in the NOTAMs during briefings makes the reform all the more worthy of support.

By the way: The new VC Info has been published! As usual, in addition to the downloadable PDF, the articles are also available on the VC Info website.

Janis Schmitt
Board Member Press & PR

Two new Members on the Advisory Board

The VC Advisory Board has two new members, Philipp Mehnert and Felix Kuhlmay, representing the electoral group of Condor Flugdienst GmbH. As they were the only candidates for the two vacant positions, they were admitted to the Advisory Board without election.

The election committee and the Advisory Board congratulate Philipp Mehnert and Felix Kuhlmay on their election and wish them every success in their work!

Philipp Mehnert (left) and Felix Kuhlmay

Flyer - Retirement Planning, Pension Provision and Retirement

In the flyer "Retirement Planning, Pension Provision and Retirement" (in German), the WG DAS (Diversity and Social) provides information on different types of retirement plans, related health insurance issues and the transition from working life to retirement.

Global Campaign on NOTAM Improvement

ICAO has launched the Global Campaign on NOTAM Improvement (NOTAM2021). IFALPA, OPS Group, Eurocontrol and FAA are among the supporters.

The campaign aims to carry out a fundamental reform of the NOTAM system. Among other things, it is intended to reduce the confusing amount of messages and to make NOTAMs more practical to use in reality. The entire NOTAM system is supposed to become more effective and reliable for cockpit crews and dispatchers.

However, due to the large number of stakeholders involved and affected, the entire project is relatively complex and time-consuming. Therefore, here are some links to further and partly detailed information:

The OPS Group has set up a dedicated website that provides detailed information about the goals, the process and the current status of the campaign:
https://www.fixingnotams.org/
OPS Group article on the launch of the campaign:
https://www.ops.group/blog/global-campaign-on-notam-improvement-starts-april-8th/
The NOTAMeter is a tool that analyses the currently about 36,000 NOTAMs issued by ICAO member states worldwide by age and region/state:
https://www.icao.int/airnavigation/information-management/Pages/NOTAMeter.aspx
ICAO's overview page of the global NOTAM campaign:
https://www.icao.int/airnavigation/information-management/Pages/GlobalNOTAMcampaign.aspx.

Information from Local Runway Safety Teams

On the VC Info website our Local Runway Safety Teams at the airports provide current information for flight ops - currently for Berlin, Leipzig and Munich.

Airspace warnings for eastern Ukraine

EASA, FAA and several other Western aviation authorities have issued airspace warnings for eastern parts of Ukraine along the border with Russia due to significantly increased military presence and tensions. This is pointed out by the OPS Group in a recent article.

Click here for the EASA Conflict Zone Information Bulletin.

Airbus presents long-term statistical analysis of aviation accidents

Airbus has presented a long-term statistical analysis of commercial aviation accidents, including current 2020 figures. The trend that the rate of fatal accidents and hull losses is continuously decreasing is currently facing a particular challenge due to the large number of grounded crews and aircraft, according to the manufacturer.

All the figures and the whole analysis: https://accidentstats.airbus.com/

News from Associations, Organisations and Regulators

EASA

Against the backdrop of the ongoing restrictions caused by the pandemic, EASA has published further guidelines for national authorities on how to handle or grant exemptions for pilots, e.g. on licensing issues. In principle, the revised guidelines continue to allow exemptions if appropriate mitigations are taken. Further details directly from EASA.