EASA
European Union Aviation Safety Agency
Last updated: April 20, 2026 · Maintained by Aviatr Editorial Team
What is EASA?
EASA (European Union Aviation Safety Agency) is the EU body responsible for civil aviation safety across the 27 EU member states plus Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, and Switzerland. It issues the Part-FCL pilot licensing rules, Part-MED medical standards, Part-ORA training-organisation requirements, and aircraft certification frameworks used throughout European aviation.
How is EASA used?
Every pilot operating in EASA member states is subject to EASA rules — from the 45-hour PPL minimum and Class 2 medical requirement to the 1,500-hour ATPL unfreeze threshold and the mandatory Multi-Crew Cooperation course. National aviation authorities (LBA in Germany, DGAC in France, ENAC in Italy, CAA-UK-post-Brexit-equivalents, and others) implement EASA rules at the national level and issue the actual pilot licenses, but the standards themselves are harmonised across the 31 EASA states. Flight schools must be EASA-approved ATOs or declared DTOs to deliver license training; non-approved instructors cannot sign off hours toward a license. EASA publishes regulatory updates called Notices of Proposed Amendment (NPAs); pilots track these for changes to medicals, ratings, or operational procedures that may affect the validity or privileges of their existing licenses. Cross-recognition agreements exist between EASA and other regulatory regimes (FAA, Transport Canada, CAA-UK) — pilots moving between jurisdictions must convert their licenses through a credit-and-skill-test process specific to the destination authority.