The European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) and the Japan Civil Aviation Bureau (JCAB) are joining hands under the EU-Japan Aviation Partnership Project (APP), a technical cooperation platform established in June 2023, to advance partnership between the two regions in civil aviation. The two aviation authorities organise activities together to share knowledge, expertise, and best practices, aiming to strengthen the European and Japanese aviation industries' resilience and high standards.

Since its launch, multiple events have been organised, bringing together authorities and industry players from the EU and Japan to keep abreast of policy trends and introduce cutting-edge technologies and safety solutions. Exchanging expert insights in rapidly advancing technology fields is essential for authorities to develop policies and regulations that facilitate their deployment. Taking the future use of autonomy in the industry as an example, JCAB and EASA recently visited Oslo Gardermoen Airport, Tokyo Haneda Airport and Tokyo Narita Airport to evaluate progress and discuss approaches to introducing autonomous vehicles in airports. Other similar initiatives are also taking place in other fast evolving aviation domains such as Urban Air Mobility (UAM), Sustainable Aviation Fuels (SAF) and more.

The EU-Japan APP is funded by the European Union and this first phase is meant to run until 31 December 2024. Beyond this date, a new project phase is being discussed between the respective authorities and will facilitate many more activities to continue inspiring new collaborations between the European and Japanese aviation communities. Industry stakeholders are also encouraged to submit ideas for topics to be discussed in future project activities.

Source: European Union Aviation Safety Agency