ECCAIRS 2 Governance

For ECCAIRS 2, governance ensures that the platform delivers on its objectives: improving aviation safety, enabling Authorities to meet ICAO and EU obligations, and safeguarding trust among stakeholders. Sound governance not only drives continuous improvement but also guarantees transparency, accountability, and ethical use of public resources. This is especially important given that ECCAIRS 2 is funded through European public money, and provides a harmonised, common playing field for all Competent Authorities.

Governance Structure

ECCAIRS 2 governance is organised at two levels:

• Strategic Governance – The ECCAIRS Steering Committee (ESC)
  The ESC assembles annually and brings together all participating Authorities and stakeholders. It sets the overall direction of the programme, validates priorities, and ensures alignment with ICAO Annex 13 and Annex 19 obligations as well as EU regulations.
• Operational Governance – The ECCAIRS Steering Board (ESB)
  To ensure continuity between annual ESC meetings, the ESB provides operational oversight. It is composed of nine elected representatives from the ESC and convenes on a quarterly basis. The ESB reviews programme progress, oversees developments such as taxonomy updates, release planning, and infrastructure evolution, and ensures that the needs of Authorities are addressed in a balanced way.

Together, the ESC and ESB create a governance framework that combines inclusiveness with efficiency: all Authorities can voice their needs through the ESC, while the ESB ensures operational continuity, follow-up, and decision-making between annual assemblies.

This layered governance model has proven essential to the success of ECCAIRS 2, ensuring the programme remains sustainable, transparent, and aligned with both international obligations and the expectations of its European stakeholders.