The UK State Safety Programme (SSP) sets out how the UK approaches aviation safety. It has been set up to protect people from aviation safety risks and to maintain the UK as one of the safest aviation systems in the world.
To achieve this, the UK is committed to:
- reinforcing the UK’s position as a global leader in aviation safety
- continuously improving aviation safety through collaborative working, including with our international partners
- achieving the State safety objectives.
In support of this commitment the UK will:
- effectively manage aviation safety risk and to maintain or set up the necessary organisational structures and mechanisms to do so
- sustain current levels of safety for UK citizens, and seek to continuously improve them
- comply with international safety requirements and ensure that if any differences are necessary, the reasons are well understood
- maintain a world class aviation infrastructure including airspace, airports and air traffic services
- target and co-ordinate proportionate regulatory oversight and intervention on a basis of risk exposure and safety performance
- manage resource and co-operation between stakeholders in order to deliver the best results for UK citizens
- actively seek out emerging risks and take proactive action to minimise the impact on the aviation system
- promote a positive safety culture across the UK aviation industry
- follow the principles of 'Just Culture', as detailed in UK Reg. (EU) 376/2014
- apply an enforcement policy to protect consumers and the public by encouraging compliance with rules applicable to civil aviation and to deter non-compliance
Aviation policy and legislative development process
Developments to aviation legislation, and the development of Certification Specifications (CS) and other detailed specifications, Acceptable Means of Compliance (AMC) and Guidance Material (GM) follow a defined process that involves coordinated activity between The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) and The Department for Transport (DfT) policy and legislative project tracker.
From January 2021, the UK assumed responsibility for development of aviation safety legislation and guidance. Developments to the existing framework are managed as projects within a programme management structure and we maintain a status tracker of the projects that we have approved since then. The tracker includes information about how we consult on and key documents related to each project.
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