EASA implementing rule on flight simulation training devices
Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2026/781 was adopted on 8 April 2026 and published in the Official Journal on 10 April 2026, amending Regulations (EU) No 1178/2011 and (EU) No 965/2012 on requirements for flight simulation training devices and their use for pilot training, testing and checking.
ReFuelEU implementation remains a live compliance track for operators and suppliers
EASA’s updated ReFuelEU Aviation resource page notes that Regulation (EU) 2023/2405 has applied since 1 January 2024 and highlights reporting obligations relevant to operators, with an update posted in April 2026.
EU zero-emission aviation policy is moving from strategy to deployment planning
The European Commission’s Alliance for Zero-Emission Aviation published its April 2026 roadmap setting out roles for authorities, manufacturers, airports, operators and energy suppliers in deploying hybrid, electric and hydrogen aircraft in Europe.
The simulation-device rule is the clearest immediate hard-law development for European aviation practitioners because it changes the operative regulatory text governing approved devices and their use in pilot training and checking. For clients, that raises implementation questions around training organisation approvals, operator manuals, device qualification alignment and transition timing under the amended framework.
ReFuelEU remains one of the most important compliance files for European actors because EASA is treating its dedicated page as a central implementation hub and because the regime already applies, with reporting duties phasing in through the current period. For airlines, lessors, airports and fuel suppliers, the near-term legal work is less about legislative drafting and more about contractual allocation of data, uplift, sustainability and reporting responsibilities.
The AZEA roadmap is not binding legislation, but it is still legally relevant because it signals the Commission’s expected sequencing for market entry of electric, hybrid and hydrogen aircraft and identifies the public-authority actions needed to enable deployment. That makes it useful for advisory work on certification pathways, infrastructure planning, state-support design, and the interaction between environmental regulation and regional air mobility projects.
https://www.easa.europa.eu/en/domains/environment/refueleu-aviation-digital-reporting-tool
https://defence-industry-space.ec.europa.eu/publication-azea-roadmap-2026-04-20_en
The European Commission states that in 2026 it will assess whether CORSIA is sufficiently aligned with the Paris Agreement and may propose extending the scope of the EU ETS depending on that assessment.
EASA extended the validity of Conflict Zone Information Bulletin 2026-03-R6 covering the Middle East and Persian Gulf until 24 April 2026, which keeps operational risk and duty-of-care advice high on the agenda for operators serving or overflying the region.
https://climate.ec.europa.eu/eu-action/transport-decarbonisation/reducing-emissions-aviation_en
https://www.easa.europa.eu/en/domains/air-operations/czibs/2026-03-r6
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