Flight safety improved since Helios crash, but challenges remain

Flight safety since the day of the Helios air crash has improved significantly, the head of the flight safety unit at the civil aviation department, said on Monday, the 18th anniversary of the accident that killed 121 passengers and crew of the fatal flight.

Andreas Paspalides said however that some “gaps and weaknesses” remain in the department. He told the Cyprus News Agency that these must be dealt with but, assured that flight safety was not being compromised.

The main issue was understaffing, he said. He did say that improvements were being made over time. The department, he said, needs people with expertise and specialisation. An effort is currently being made to fill the gap by purchasing services from abroad, Paspalides added.

According to authorities, on average five to six serious incidents per year involving civilian aircraft are recorded in Cyprus.

Based on the latest report of the department of civil aviation, regarding the state of aviation security in Cyprus in 2022, a total of 693 mandatory and voluntary reports were submitted to the department, which were processed and consolidated into 623 incidents.

It noted that incidents more than doubled from 255 in 2022, adding that over the past four years, the trend was on an upwards trajectory in terms of absolute numbers of reports, and percentages of reports.

In 2022 there was a non-fatal accident involving a military unmanned aircraft (Drone) that crashed into the sea near Paphos for unknown reasons.

Of the serious incidents reported in 2022, four involved aircraft separation minimum violations (SMIs), with one incident triggering the Air Collision Avoidance Alert System.

The fifth serious incident, according to the same report, involved the declaration of a fuel emergency by an ultralight aircraft not registered in Cyprus, flying from Rhodes to Paphos, which landed safely. No serious injuries were reported. There has also been an increase in bird strikes.