[EN] IFATSEA 50th General Assembly was organised on 24-30 September in Prague, Czech Republic. The meeting was organised by CZATSEA (The Professional Association ATSEP from Czech Republic) with the support of ANS CZ. The meeting was chaired by IFATSEA President – Mr. Theodore KIRITSIS together with IFATSEA Executive Board.
Representatives from 33 countries attended this General Assembly. ATESEPA was represented at this General Assembly by Camelia ELISEI-ILIESCU, Olga GHEORGHIU, Sorin DUMITRESCU and Sorin SPINEAN.
The main themes discussed in the plenary of the IFATSEA General Assembly were:
1. Efficiency and safety pillar for the future global turbulences – ATSEP role;
2. ATSEP and ICAO Annex 1- IFATSEA Regional Director Forum
3. The future of ATSEP profession having in mind the emergent technologies
Mr. Antonio Licu, Head of Safety Unit EUROCONTROL, presented the role of ATSEP personnel from the safety perspective. In his presentation, he underlined the fact that in this moment there are not so many studies regarding ATSEP impact in aviation. Also, another safety matter is represented by the change of ATM systems which generate a massive change of the objectives and pressure on ATSEP personnel. The most important safety factor was presented as being the professional training and the need of a continuous professional development process to be able to handle changes, complexity and maintaining the expertise.
IFATSEA President presented the partnerships with the most important international organizations (ICAO, EUROCONTROL, EASA, CANSO, SESAR Joint Undertaking, IFATCA, IFALPA) and the annual report of the federation regarding the activities carried out. There was also discussed the necessity of “Fatigue study for ATSEP” following the model created by ATCO so that similar policies can be implemented.
During the General Assembly, there were held the regional meetings of America, Europe, Asia/Pacific and Africa.
The meeting for Europe region was chaired by Mr. Costas CHRISTOFOROU. The most important problems of the ATSEP personnel have been presented during the meeting: the delayed recruitment process, the lack of personnel to maintain the 24H ongoing service, the lack of ATSEP personnel licensing and the week implementation of the cybersecurity.
The discussion on the implementation and maintenance of the cybersecurity level highlighted the need for cybersecurity specialists within the ATSEP personnel and the lack of the framework and level of the training in this domain in Reg. 373.
During the Eurogroup meeting , there was officially announced that the 2023 IFATSEA ERM Conference will be organized in Bucharest.
Also, during this period, the meetings of the 3 IFATSEA subcommittees took place and the Romanian delegation had representatives in each subcommittee.
- ATSEP Training and Competence Sub-Committee – Sorin SPINEAN and Olga GHEORGHIU
- Future ATM Systems Sub-Committee – Sorin DUMITRESCU
- Safety Sub-Committee – Camelia ELISEI-ILIESCU
Each subcommittee aims to propose viable solutions and ATSEP personnel support policies for each domain so that they are presented and used by IFATSEA Executive Board during the consultations with the international bodies. The work sessions of the subcommittees take place during the entire year. During the subcommittees’ meetings, there were held the elections for their leadership positions with 2-year mandates. ATSEPA representatives obtained the following positions:
- Vice-chairperson Safety
- Vice-secretary ATSEP Training and Competence
The agenda of the General Assembly included also the setting and establishment of ATSEP Women’s Committee which aims to encourage women to be more informed and have access to an ATSEP career. This committee’s goal is to support the equitable professional development of ATSEP personnel. In this initiative, the Romanian delegation was represented by Olga GHEORGHIU and Camelia ELISEI-ILIESCU who got involved in the creation of the questionnaire meant to identify the level of professional involvement (studies, licensing/authorisation, improvement opportunities etc.).
The representatives of the 33 participating countries voted for the positions of Vice President and Treasurer. The Africa and America regions elected their Directors.
The participation at IFATSEA 2022 General Assembly was an excellent opportunity for ATSEPA to restore the international relations after the difficult pandemic period and to establish new partnerships.
