On November 4, 2024 Mr. Florian Guillermet, Executive Director of the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA), a leading organization responsible for safety in civil aviation, visited the Civil Aviation Authority of Poland. It was the first visit of EASA’s new manager in Poland and another opportunity to discuss cooperation between Poland and EASA or challenges which the sector of civil aviation will have to face in the coming years.
The main topics of the discussions included:
- plans, main goals and tasks of the new Executive Director of the Agency and cooperation between member states;
- civil aviation priorities related to the Polish presidency of the Council of the European Union;
- the role of new technologies such as automation and development based on AI in increasing aviation safety;
- GNSS jamming and spoofing and their influence on civil aviation safety;
Mr. Florian Guillermet’s visit was a perfect opportunity to exchange experiences and to discuss with the management of the CAA the cooperation with the Agency as well as challenges which civil aviation has to face today, including issues such as generation transformation and the need to simplify the regulations.
Mr. Florian Guillermet took up the position of the Executive Director of EASA in April 2024. He has a many-year experience in the aviation sector, he held managerial positions in France and the EU, especially in the area of safety and air traffic management (ATM). In 2021 – 2024 he headed the French Direction des Services de la navigation aérienne (DSNA) – a counterpart of the Polish PANSA. Earlier he was the Executive Director of SESAR JU and worked for many years for EUROCONTROL.
EASA’s mission is ensuring safe air travels for the EU citizens in Europe and around the world. The Agency exercises oversight over safety in Europe through detailed standardization inspections and monitoring activities.
EASA’s competencies include the most important areas related to the civil aviation safety, such as air operations, personnel qualifications, unmanned aircraft systems, airports or air navigation. In order to ensure a proper functioning and development of civil aviation the Agency:
- develops implementing rules related to aviation safety;
- promotes the EU aviation standards and rules on an international level through cooperation with appropriate organs of third countries and international organizations;
- oversees and supports member states in areas in which EASA has shared competence;
- cooperates with international entities for the improvement of the global safety level of aviation.
The main organs of EASA are: the Management Board comprised of 32 members (27 EU states + EFTA1 + the European Commission) and the Executive Director
1 Island, Lichtenstein, Norway and Switzerland.