AVIATION SAFETY & COMPLIANCEBy Aero Support Group FZCO · 29 March 2026
Introduction
On 9 March 2026, the International Air Transport Association (IATA) released its 2025 Annual Safety Report — and for aviation maintenance professionals, the findings demand immediate attention. Across 38.7 million flights, IATA recorded 51 accidents and eight fatal events resulting in 394 onboard fatalities, a figure that exceeds both the 2024 total and the five-year average. Crucially, maintenance issues were identified among the leading contributing factors — sitting alongside procedural non-compliance, systemic failures, and adverse weather. With EASA’s AMC & GM to Part-145 (Issue 2, Amendment 8) having been published just weeks earlier on 3 February 2026, there has rarely been a more timely moment for Approved Maintenance Organisations (AMOs) to audit their compliance posture and strengthen their safety culture.
Background: The Regulatory Framework
EASA Regulation (EU) No 1321/2014, Annex II — commonly known as Part-145 — sets the certification and operating standards for AMOs across European Union member states and in many third-country bilateral arrangements. It establishes requirements covering organisational structure, personnel competency, quality systems, maintenance procedures, and Safety Management Systems (SMS). Under Part-145.A.65, organisations are required to establish a quality system that includes independent audits and feedback mechanisms to verify that maintenance activities are carried out in accordance with approved data and that the organisation remains in compliance with applicable requirements. SMS obligations — including the appointment of a dedicated Safety Manager reporting directly to the Accountable Manager — were codified in recent amendments and apply to all Part-145 approved organisations operating within EASA’s remit.
The Acceptable Means of Compliance and Guidance Material (AMC & GM) documents, published periodically by EASA, translate regulatory intent into practical operational guidance. Amendment 8 to Issue 2, published 3 February 2026, represents the most current layer of guidance for Part-145 compliance and incorporates lessons learned from recent accident investigations, safety data analysis, and stakeholder consultation. For organisations operating outside the EU — including those under UK CAA, GCAA, or OTAR frameworks — EASA guidance frequently serves as a reference standard and may be incorporated by reference into national regulatory frameworks.
Analysis: What the Data Means for Your Organisation
IATA’s 2025 data points to a persistent challenge that AMOs and their regulators have grappled with for decades: the gap between having documented procedures and actually following them. Procedural non-compliance was cited as a leading causal factor alongside maintenance issues. This pattern aligns closely with findings from EASA’s own safety data, which consistently highlight human factors — specifically, normalisation of deviance and inadequate supervision — as the root cause behind many maintenance-related occurrences. Under Part-145.A.47 and the associated AMC, certifying staff and support staff are required to be competent not only technically but also in understanding the human performance limitations relevant to their work. An SMS that does not actively surface and analyse maintenance error trends is, in practice, a compliance document rather than a safety tool.
The IATA report also noted that systemic and regulatory failures contributed to the accident record. For AMOs, this is a reminder that an approved MOE (Maintenance Organisation Exposition) must be a living document. Part-145.A.70 requires organisations to ensure that their MOE is amended to reflect current practice; where a gap exists between the written procedure and actual shop-floor behaviour, the organisation is technically non-compliant regardless of the quality of the written text. In the context of EASA Amendment 8 guidance, organisations should verify that their SMS risk registers capture maintenance error data and that hazard identification processes are integrated into day-to-day operations, not confined to periodic audits.
A particularly positive data point in IATA’s 2025 report — zero Loss of Control In-Flight (LOC-I) accidents — underscores the impact that sustained, systemic safety focus can achieve. LOC-I had historically been aviation’s leading fatal accident category; its elimination in 2025 reflects years of coordinated effort across operators, manufacturers, and training organisations. AMOs can draw a direct lesson: targeted, data-driven safety interventions yield measurable results. Organisations that invest in robust occurrence reporting, proactive safety risk management, and human factors training stand to replicate this success within the maintenance domain.
Practical Takeaways for AMOs
Conclusion
IATA’s 2025 Safety Report and EASA’s February 2026 AMC & GM update together send a clear signal: the regulatory and safety environment for aviation maintenance is evolving, and organisations that treat compliance as a static exercise risk falling behind. Aero Support Group recommends that AMOs treat these publications as a structured review trigger — not simply reading material. In the months ahead, attention should be paid to any further rulemaking emerging from EASA’s ongoing regulatory review of Part-145, as well as to ICAO’s continued work on safety management standards under Annex 19. Organisations that embed proactive safety management into their culture — rather than responding reactively to audit findings — will be best positioned to improve their safety record, retain their approvals, and win the confidence of airlines and operators in an increasingly competitive MRO market.
The IATA 2025 Annual Safety Report identified maintenance issues as one of the leading contributing factors in the 51 accidents recorded across 38.7 million flights in 2025. Maintenance-related factors were cited alongside procedural non-compliance and systemic failures, making them a priority area for AMOs to address.
AMC & GM to Part-145, Issue 2, Amendment 8 was published by EASA on 3 February 2026. It is the most current layer of compliance guidance for all Part-145 approved organisations, incorporating lessons from recent accident investigations and updated SMS requirements under Part-145.A.65 and related provisions.
Yes. Organisations operating under UK CAA, GCAA, OTAR, and other bilateral frameworks frequently incorporate EASA guidance by reference. Even where direct legal obligation does not exist, EASA AMC & GM standards represent international best practice and are increasingly used as audit benchmarks by national competent authorities.
Under Part-145.A.65 and the associated AMC, all Part-145 approved organisations are required to establish and maintain a Safety Management System. This includes appointing a dedicated Safety Manager reporting to the Accountable Manager, maintaining a safety risk register, operating a hazard identification and occurrence reporting system, and conducting regular safety performance reviews.
Aero Support Group provides end-to-end Part-145 compliance support including SMS gap analysis against Amendment 8 requirements, MOE review and update, procedural compliance audits, Human Factors training, and Accountable Manager briefings. With experience across 1,000+ projects in 100+ countries, we support AMOs through every stage of their regulatory compliance programme.
- Review your SMS against Amendment 8 guidance now — EASA's February 2026 update to AMC & GM Part-145 should be cross-referenced with your existing Safety Management System documentation. Identify any gaps in hazard identification, occurrence reporting, and safety performance monitoring.
- Conduct a procedural compliance audit — Commission an independent internal audit (as required by Part-145.A.65) focused specifically on adherence to documented maintenance procedures. Pay particular attention to high-risk tasks and areas where workarounds have become routine.
- Strengthen Human Factors training — Ensure all certifying staff have received current Human Factors training covering error management, communication, and fatigue risk — consistent with GM1 145.A.30(e). Document this training in individual competency records.
- Update your MOE to reflect current practice — Schedule a formal MOE review to verify that Part 2 (Maintenance Procedures) and Part 3 (Quality System) accurately describe how work is actually being performed. Any divergence must be resolved.
- Engage proactively with your Competent Authority — If your organisation holds approvals under multiple regulatory frameworks (e.g., EASA + UK CAA, or EASA + GCAA), map the requirements of the latest amendments across all approvals and address any open findings.
Need Support with Part-145 Compliance & SMS?
Aero Support Group provides regulatory compliance support, SMS gap analysis, and AMO advisory services for aviation organisations worldwide.
References
- IATA 2025 Annual Safety Report Press Release (9 March 2026): iata.org
- IATA 2025 Annual Safety Report Executive Summary: PDF Download
- EASA AMC & GM to Part-145 — Issue 2, Amendment 8 (3 February 2026): easa.europa.eu
- EASA Part-145 Maintenance Organisation Approvals Overview: easa.europa.eu
- NBAA — SMS Compliance Deadline for Part-145 Repair Stations with EASA Approval: nbaa.org
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