Strengthening safety management in aviation maintenance: insights from EASA and global regulatory frameworks
DOI: https://doi.org/10.3846/aviation.2026.27509Abstract
Anticipated growth in global commercial aviation poses significant challenges to maintaining established safety levels, particularly in aircraft maintenance. Safety Management Systems (SMS), as defined by the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) Annex 19, provide a structured framework for hazard identification, risk management, and continuous improvement. This paper examines SMS implementation in the maintenance domain across key jurisdictions, highlighting regulatory variations: mandatory adoption in Europe through the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA), voluntary compliance in the United States under the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), and structured guidance in Australia via the Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA). These differences illustrate the complexity of achieving consistent global safety outcomes. The discussion underscores the need for systematic hazard identification, risk mitigation, and competency development to ensure effective SMS implementation. While ICAO standards offer a foundational schema, regional interpretations and gaps in practical guidance remain challenges. Strengthening SMS understanding and application is critical to sustaining safety performance amid rising operational demands.
Keywords:
safety management systems, aviation maintenance, EASA, FAA, aviationHow to Cite
Share
License
Copyright (c) 2026 The Author(s). Published by Vilnius Gediminas Technical University.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
References
Airbus. (2025). Airbus global market forecast. https://www.airbus.com/en/products-services/commercial-aircraft/global-market-forecast
Boeing. (2025). Market outlook. Boeing Company. https://www.boeing.com/content/dam/boeing/boeingdotcom/market/assets/downloads/2025-commercial-market-outlook.pdf
Bond, J. (2002). A Janus approach to safety. Process Safety and Environmental Protection, 80(1), 9–15. https://doi.org/10.1205/095758202753502361
Burnes, B. (2017). Managing change. Pearson.
Bird, F., Germain, G., & Clark, D. (1986). Practical loss control leadership. DNV GL – Business Assurance.
Civil Aviation Safety Authority Australia. (2025). Safety management systems. CASA Australia. https://www.casa.gov.au/operations-safety-and-travel/safety-management-systems
Carroll, J. S., & Fahlbruch, B. (2011). “The gift of failure: New approaches to analyzing and learning from events and near-misses.” Honoring the contributions of Bernhard Wilpert. Safety Science, 49(1), 1–4. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ssci.2010.03.005
Chatzi, A. V., Kil, Y. & Graham, M. (2024). Examination of personality types as predictors of safety attitudes/behaviours, in support of enhancing safety in healthcare: A scoping review. International Journal of Health Governance, 29(4), 323–341. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJHG-06-2024-0075
Christensen, C. M., Johnson, C. W., & Horn, M. B. (2008). Disrupting class: How disruptive innovation will change the way the world learns. McGraw-Hill.
Clare, J., & Kourousis, K. I. (2021). Analysis of continuing airworthiness occurrences under the prism of a learning framework. Aerospace, 8(2), Article 41. https://doi.org/10.3390/aerospace8020041
Dekker, S. (2016). Drift into failure: From hunting broken components to understanding complex systems. CRC Press. https://doi.org/10.1201/9781315257396
Drupsteen, L., & Guldenmund, F. W. (2014). What is learning? A review of the safety literature to define learning from incidents, accidents and disasters. Journal of Contingencies and Crisis Management, 22(2), 81–96. https://doi.org/10.1111/1468-5973.12039
European Commission. (2012). Commission Regulation (EU) No 965/2012 of 5 October 2012 laying down technical requirements and administrative procedures related to air operations pursuant to Regulation (EC) No 216/2008 of the European Parliament and of the Council. European Commission.
European Commission. (2014a). Commission Regulation (EU) No 1321/2014 of 26 November 2014 on the continuing airworthiness of aircraft and aeronautical products, parts and appliances, and on the approval of organisations and personnel involved in these tasks. European Commission.
European Commission. (2014b). Regulation (EU) No 376/2014 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 3 April 2014 on the reporting, analysis and follow-up of occurrences in civil aviation, amending Regulation (EU) No 996/2010 of the European Parliament and of the Council and repealing Directive 2003/42/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council and Commission Regulations (EC) No 1321/2007 and (EC) No 1330/2007 Text with EEA relevance. European Commission.
European Commission. (2018). Regulation (EU) 2018/1139 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 4 July 2018 on common rules in the field of civil aviation and establishing a European Union Aviation Safety Agency, and amending Regulations (EC) No 2111/2005, (EC) No 1008/2008, (EU) No 996/2010, (EU) No 376/2014 and Directives 2014/30/EU and 2014/53/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council, and repealing Regulations (EC) No 552/2004 and (EC) No 216/2008 of the European Parliament and of the Council and Council Regulation (EEC) No 3922/91. European Commission.
European Commission. (2021). Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2021/1963 amending Regulation (EU) No 1321/2014 as regards safety management systems in maintenance organisations and correcting that Regulation. European Commission.
European Union Aviation Safety Agency. (2014). Commission Regulation (EU) No 1321/2014 of 26 November 2014 on the continuing airworthiness of aircraft and aeronautical products, parts and appliances, and on the approval of organisations and personnel involved in these tasks. Official Journal of the European Union, L 362/1 - L362/194. EU.
European Union Aviation Safety Agency. (2023). EASA – Management system assessment tool. European Aviation Safety Agency.
European Union Aviation Safety Agency. (2025a). https://www.easa.europa.eu/en
European Union Aviation Safety Agency. (2025b). Safety management system and management system – The integrated approach. https://www.easa.europa.eu/en/domains/safety-management/safety-management-system-sms
Federal Aviation Administration. (2017). Order 8000.72 – FAA integrated oversight philosophy. FAA.
Federal Aviation Administration. (2020). Order 8000.369C – Safety management system. FAA.
Federal Aviation Administration. (2022). Order 8900-1A – Flight standards information management system. FAA.
Federal Aviation Administration. (2024). AC 120-92 – Safety management systems for aviation service providers. FAA.
Federal Aviation Administration. (2025). Code of Federal Regulations CFR Title 14. FAA.
Gigerenzer, G. (2003). Reckoning with risk: Learning to live with uncertainty. Penguin UK.
Harvey, C. & Stanton, N. A. (2014). Safety in System-of-Systems: Ten key challenges. Safety Science, 70, 358–366. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ssci.2014.07.009
Hobbs, A. (2001). The links between errors and error-producing conditions in aircraft maintenance. In 15th FAA/CAA/Transport Canada Symposium on Human Factors in Aviation Maintenance and Inspection. London, UK. https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Alan-Hobbs-3/publication/239832513_The_links_between_errors_and_error-producing-conditions_in_aircraft_maintenance/links/54d519a70cf246475806ef58/The-links-between-errors-and-error-producing-conditions-in-aircraft-maintenance.pdf
Heinrich, H. W. (1941). Industrial accident prevention – A scientific approach. McGraw-Hill.
Hobbs, A. (2001). The links between errors and error-producing conditions in aircraft maintenance. In The 15th FAA/CAA/Transport Canada Symposium on Human Factors in Aviation Maintenance and Inspection. London, UK.
Karanikas, N., Melis, D. J., & Kourousis, K. I. (2018). The balance between safety and productivity and its relationship with human factors and safety awareness and communication in aircraft manufacturing. Safety and Health at Work, 9(3), 257–264. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.shaw.2017.09.001
Kuhn, T. S. (1997). The structure of scientific revolutions. University of Chicago Press. https://doi.org/10.7208/chicago/9780226458106.001.0001
Leveson, N. G. (2011). Applying systems thinking to analyze and learn from events. Safety Science, 49(1), 55–64. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ssci.2009.12.021
Perrow, Ch. (1999). Normal accidents: Living with high-risk technologies. BasicBooks. https://doi.org/10.1515/9781400828494
Reason, J. (1997). Managing the risks of organizational accidents. Ashgate Publishing Co.
The International Civil Aviation Organisation. (2016). Annex 19 – Safety Management. Montreal, Canada, ICAO.
The International Civil Aviation Organisation. (2006a). Convention on International Civil Aviation (Doc 7300). ICAO.
The International Civil Aviation Organisation. (2006b). Safety oversight manual (Doc 9734). ICAO.
The International Civil Aviation Organisation. (2016). Annex 19 – Safety management (2nd ed.). ICAO.
The International Civil Aviation Organisation. (2018). Safety management manual (Doc 9859) (4th ed.). ICAO.
The International Civil Aviation Organisation. (2022). Global aviation safety plan 2023–2025 (Doc 10004). ICAO.
The International Civil Aviation Organisation. (2024a). ICAO safety report 2024. ICAO.
The International Civil Aviation Organisation. (2024b). Annex 13 – Aircraft Accident and Incident Investigation. Montreal, Canada, ICAO.
The International Civil Aviation Organisation. (2025). https://www.icao.int/
United Kingdom Civil Aviation Authority. (2015). CAP 795: Safety management systems – Guidance to organisations. United Kingdom Civil Aviation Authority.
Woodlock, J. (2023). Between law and safety: Licensed aircraft maintenance engineers and the socio-professional construction of legality in European civil aviation [Doctoral thesis, Lund University]. Lund University.
Wright, L., & van der Schaaf, T. (2004). Accident versus near miss causation: A critical review of the literature, an empirical test in the UK railway domain, and their implications for other sectors. Journal of Hazardous Materials, 111(1–3), 105–110. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhazmat.2004.02.049
View article in other formats
CrossMark check
Published
Issue
Section
Copyright
Copyright (c) 2026 The Author(s). Published by Vilnius Gediminas Technical University.
License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.