The aim of safety management is to proactively identify hazards and minimise the associated safety risks before they lead to accidents and incidents in aviation.
The EU requirements for a safety management system (SMS) form a part of the general management system (MS). This includes the core elements of the ICAO SMS as defined in Appendix 2 to ICAO Annex 19. The ICAO Annex 19 Standards and Recommended Practices (SARPs) have been implemented in each EASA aviation area, most recently in Initial Airworthiness (Part 21), i.e. design and production, and in Continuing Airworthiness (Part 145), i.e. maintenance, with the following implementation objectives:
- all maintenance organisations approved under EASA Part 145 are required to have introduced an SMS by 2 December 2024 (see Article 4 of Commission Regulation (EU) No 1321/2014).
- all design organisation approval (DOA) and production organisation approval (POA) holders approved under EASA Part 21, European technical standard order authorisation (ETSOA) holders and organisations developing auxiliary power units (APU) under EASA Part 21 are required to have introduced an SMS by 7 March 2025 (see Articles 8 and 9 of Regulation (EU) No 748/2012).
The FOCA actively monitors and oversees the introduction of SMSs in the Swiss civil aviation community. This work is coordinated with related EASA and ICAO activities.
Further information
Publications
FOCA GM/INFO - CL Management System (PDF, 2 MB, 01.11.2023)Covers all aspects of management system requirements and shall assist the applicant to implement a Management System and to comply with the requirements
