UK lawmakers slam European air safety authority

LONDON, Nov 8 (Reuters) The European Union's aviation safety authority was an ''accident waiting to happen'', a UK parliamentary committee said today as it called on the British government not to transfer more power to the authority.

The European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA), which became operational in 2003, had failed to coordinate safety regulation across Europe and threatened air safety in the UK, the cross-party Transport Committee said in a report.

The committee said Britain's aviation regulator, the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), had expressed concern about the agency's operations and called for urgent action.

''The European Aviation Safety Agency is an accident waiting to happen. Its lamentable problems of governance, management and resources must not be allowed to compromise aviation safety in the UK in any way,'' Transport Committee Chairman Gwyneth Dunwoody said in a statement.

''The UK must not transfer any further powers from the CAA to the agency until the government is assured that it is fit for purpose.'' The comments were made in the committee's review of the CAA.

EASA is an independent European Union body.

An EASA spokeswoman said the body was going through the report and declined further comment.

The European Commission earlier this year proposed giving EASA new powers to control air operations and pilots' licences, and oversight of third-country airlines operating in the bloc.

The committee also called on the UK government to review the role of the CAA as no changes had been made to its regulatory framework since 1972, since when the number of passengers travelling to and from UK airports had quadrupled to 228 million.

It also said there was limited attention by the CAA to environmental issues.

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