Managing information to better cope with aviation risks
The EU's Vision 2020 sets a target of 80 % reduction in aviation accidents. All aviation safety depends on a thorough understanding of risk, yet present systems assess risk in incomplete and limited ways. As such, the new regulations and other expectations cannot be realised without a more detailed understanding of aviation risks, particularly those causing abnormal situations and emergencies. The EU-funded PROSPERO (Proactive safety performance for operations) project aimed to provide the necessary information. Project partners developed and evaluated a prototype management system for analysing and managing complex aviation risks. Potential risks identified by the system are anticipated and managed in operations. Work began by defining industry requirements for the system, as well as key functional requirements and specifications for its design and preparation. To support the actual development and implementation of the system at different application levels, project partners carried out several case studies. At the organisational level, five cases were implemented, ranging from new risk analysis based on cross-organisational big data analysis and predictive statistics to shared stakeholders change initiatives with long-term horizons. Another set proposed one common scenario that focuses on integration of an operational situation involving various stakeholders. A final case study gathered lessons learned from the previous case studies and considered them from a regulatory perspective. The PROSPERO solution was successfully demonstrated in terms of managing the risk of change in European airports, assessing air transport system risk based on shared data between airports and airlines, and supporting compliance with and fulfilment of European regulatory requirements. Overall, findings show that collaboration and data sharing between a broad range of aviation stakeholders is challenging yet achievable. Even if the data available between various organisations is minimal, there are measurable gains for risk assessment and monitoring. PROSPERO delivered an effective prototype system for identifying and managing risks in the air transport system. The risks can be mitigated at an operational level, leading to new and safer aviation practices.
Keywords
Aviation risks, aviation management system, PROSPERO, air transport system
