FLIGHT EDITORIAL SPEAKS OUT ON JUST CULTURE

29/09/2006

The controversial issue of non-punitive occurrence reporting in the interests of passenger safety has won David Learmount, operations & safety editor, Flight International the ERA Hank McGonagle Journalism Award 2006/7.

David was presented with the Award by European Regions Airline Association (ERA) director general, Mike Ambrose, at the Association’s Awards Dinner last night in Barcelona, for his editorial entitled ‘Just Culture’, published in the 18-24 April issue of Flight International.

The judges also gave a strong commendation to Colin Baker, for his article entitled ‘Taxing Times’ in the April edition of Airline Business.

Mike Ambrose, who chaired the judging, said: “David’s editorial highlighted the importance of non-disciplinary incident reporting, and went further by speaking out against national judicial systems with have so far failed to incorporate the European Commission’s Directive on occurrence reporting in civil aviation into their national law.

It is exactly this kind of influence, on a subject that is vital to the airline industry and all its passengers, which the media can and should take on board.”

Introduced in 2002, the Award is named after the late Hank McGonagle of GE – Aviation who recognised the important role played by the media in influencing the framework for the development of intra-European air transport. The aim of the Award is to recognise clear and objective journalistic reporting through analysis of a strategic issue facing the intra-European air transport industry.

ENDS