EASA’s 2026 European Plan for Aviation Safety confirms expanded action list and new risk areas for operators to address
The 2026 edition of the European Plan for Aviation Safety (EPAS) sets out strategic priorities, an updated safety risk portfolio and 129 actions in Volume II, including 15 new actions compared with the previous cycle.
Volume III has been reviewed through EASA’s Safety Risk Management process and now includes two new safety issues – in-flight fires in inaccessible areas and out-of-spec synthetic aviation turbine fuels (SATF) in operations – which will be particularly relevant for operators using alternative fuels and managing cargo fire risks.
EU air carriers, business-aviation operators and ANSPs should map the EPAS actions against their internal safety programmes and oversight plans, ensuring that Safety Management Systems reflect these priorities and that contractual arrangements with service providers take account of the updated risk portfolio. The 2026 EPAS actions and updated risk portfolio will increasingly be used by national authorities and EASA as a benchmark when assessing the adequacy of operators’ SMS and oversight programmes, which makes it important for counsel to understand how their clients’ operations map to the EPAS priorities.
Source: European Union Aviation Safety Agency — https://www.easa.europa.eu/en/newsroom-and-events/news/european-plan-aviation-safety-epas-2026
EASA’s corrected Airworthiness Directive 2026-0073 on standby fuel pump operational checks takes effect on 15 April 2026
EASA Airworthiness Directive 2026-0073, applicable to certain Airbus A330 aircraft, has been republished as a correction to update the referenced aircraft maintenance manual task number for the standby fuel pump operational check.
The directive becomes effective on 15 April 2026 and requires operators to perform the corrected operational check to address the risk of undetected fuel-pump malfunctions, with compliance to be incorporated into scheduled maintenance planning.
EU A330 operators should confirm that their continuing airworthiness management organisations and maintenance providers have adopted the corrected AD text, and legal teams may wish to confirm that lease and maintenance contracts allocate responsibility and cost for AD compliance correctly in light of the correction. The correction to AD 2026-0073 illustrates why operators and lessors should not only track new directives but also monitor for republished or corrected versions, which may change compliance details without altering the basic subject-matter of the AD.
Source: EASA Safety Publications Tool — https://ad.easa.europa.eu/ad/2026-0073
Source: EASA Safety Publications Biweekly 08-2026 — https://ad.easa.europa.eu/blob/easa_biweekly_2026-03-30_2026-04-12_08-2026.pdf/biweekly
ReFuelEU Aviation reporting tool and documentation updated as the first full reporting cycle approaches
EASA’s ReFuelEU Aviation page, last updated in April 2026, consolidates documentation and information on Regulation (EU) 2023/2405 to assist aircraft operators and verifiers with monitoring and reporting obligations, including the use of a digital reporting tool.
The tool aims to support operators in meeting their obligations under Article 8 for fuel and SAF reporting, and is being enhanced in parallel with improvements to the portal for Article 5 justification processes and verifier workflows.
EU and non-EU operators subject to ReFuelEU obligations should ensure that their internal fuel uplift and SAF usage data can be exported in the formats required by the EASA tool, and that contractual arrangements with fuel suppliers and ground handlers allow access to the data needed for timely and accurate submissions. As ReFuelEU Aviation reporting becomes operational, airlines and business-aviation operators should anticipate that reported data may be used not only for regulatory compliance monitoring but also in future policy debates on SAF supply, infrastructure and incentives.
Source: European Union Aviation Safety Agency — https://www.easa.europa.eu/en/domains/environment/refueleu-aviation-digital-reporting-tool
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