A new report from the European Aviation Safety Agency piles on harsh criticism of the operations run by the Polish Civil Aviation Office.

Inspectors from the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) have examined the Flight Operations Department of the Polish Civil Aviation Office (CAO), hinting that it may be forced to shut down, with operations being taken over by German aviation authorities.

The CAO is responsible for handing out pilots’ licences, controlling the condition of airports and of training centres.

EASA’s report is less than optimistic, media reports. “The document contained all ‘1’ grades, the lowest possible mark,” an anonymous source told the Rzeczpospolita daily.

“Such grades mean that there are anomalies which may have a direct influence on flight safety, and as such should be eridacted immediately,” informs the source.

Spokeswoman for the CAO, Katarzyna Krasnodebska acknowledges that there are some problems that need working on, yet the results of the inspection were not as bad as previously thought.

“Wherever an anomaly has been found, there is a remedial programme in order to correct the failings,” Krasnodebska underlines.

Problems for the CAO do not end there, however. The Central Anticorruption Bureau and District Prosecutors in Warsaw are looking into pilot licencing exams, which are run by the CAO.

Warsaw prosecutors have also caught wind of CAO employees work for commercial airlines, although the information has not been verified, according to a spokesman for the Prosection. (jb)

Source: Rzeczpospolita

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