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[Article] Pilot body wants whistleblower agency established

12-06-2004 10:53pm

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Victor

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http://www.thepost.ie/web/DocumentView/did-489824234-pageUrl--2FThe-Newspaper-2FSundays-Paper-2FNews.asp

Pilot body wants whistleblower agency established
06/06/04 00:00
By Niamh Connolly

The Irish Air Line Pilots Association (IALPA) has called for a confidential whistleblowers' agency to which pilots could report safety concerns linked to low-cost airlines.

The IALPA wants a reporting body similar to the whistleblowers' agency in Britain, Chirp, for the aviation and maritime industry.

The Irish pilots' body has a file of concerns about airline safety and the rise of the lowcost corporate culture. The IALPA represents most pilots flying Irish planes.

An anonymous pilots' internet talkshop is often used to voice a growing disquiet about the effect of cost-cutting policies on airline safety. It underlines the ne ed for a confidential agency to which pilots can go without fear of victimisation, according to the IALPA.

"The IALPA met with the Irish Aviation Authority, and we had a full and frank discussion on the subject of confidential reporting syste m leading to common ground and goals," said Conor Nolan, safety director with the IALPA. "We have agreed on a way to move that forward."

A mandatory reporting system is supervised by the Irish Aviation Authority (IAA), but it requires a report from pilots only after an incident has taken place.

The IAA confirmed that its system was legally limited in relation to confidentiality and that a pilot's identity may be required where an action was taken against an airline.

"It is run as far as possible on a no-blame basis, but the fact that we are a regulator means that we may have to take court actions, including prosecutions," said an IAA spokeswoman.

"This would necessitate the identification of rapporteurs, and the requirement of evidence and subpoenas."

The IALPA said a whistleblowers' agency would report on actions taken by crew to avert incidents.

It could be linked with the Br itish system to guard against breaches of confidentiality in the Irish airline sector.

Last month, the aviation authority's new €115 million air traffic control system failed while handling `live' aircraft at Dublin Airport at one of its busiest times.

Denis Hegarty, head of strategy for the IAA, said the fault had been resolved by the manufacturers and the authority had reverted back to using the new system in conjunction with its previous system. A number of operation modes can be used if equipment is not serviceable.

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