After extensive research, Prospect last week launched its new policy report: “Towards a sustainable aviation industry for the UK”

The document draws on the experience of air traffic controllers, air traffic systems specialists, licensed aircraft engineers and CAA staff in Prospect’s membership. The policy document arose from a piece of work undertaken after a motion at the 2014 Prospect National Conference submitted by ATSS Branch which called upon Prospect to seek to influence Government and higfhlighted the lack of a “joined up sustainable aviation policy and strategy for the UK.”

To promote the new document, Prospect held a fringe event at the Trades Union Congress (TUC) in Brighton at the beginning of last week.

Coinciding with the launch of the policy document, a seminar of the Aviation Group of Prospect branches was held at the Flybe Training Academy in Exeter, at which ATSS Branch was well represented. A number of external speakers, including NATS Director of Safety, David Harrison and Professor Peter Turnbull of Bristol University contributed to the event.

Among the conclusions reached, Prospect has called for the UK’s aviation regulator to be split up, in a letter to transport secretary Patrick McLoughlin, amid concerns that safety is no longer its paramount concern.

Steve Jary, Prospect national secretary, writes: “We have come to question the combined responsibility for both economic and safety regulation in the CAA. We are not convinced that this is a good idea in principle…

“…there is growing evidence that the CAA is struggling to reconcile these responsibilities with the result that its historical focus on safety is becoming blurred.”

The 29-page report from Prospect highlights the regulator’s light-touch “top-level principles” for general aviation – which make no reference to safety – as well as the increasing prevalence of the budget airlines’ “flags of convenience” model, with its emphasis on avoiding tight regulation.