European regulation of aerodrome safety management systems in the EASA system

The implementation of Safety Management Systems at international airports was one of the most considerable changes in the regulatory framework for the operation and licensing of aerodromes in recent years. However, even more than five years after its inception it appears that the high expectations ICAO has placed on what has been designed as paradigm shift in the way of doing business in the airport industry were not materializing and Safety Management Systems appear at best to only marginally impact the safety performance of airports. Based on the lessons learned from the implementation of SMS in Germany an ideal organizational set-up for a most effective aerodrome SMS shall be designed. This proposal of an ideal organizational set-up shall be validated through a model implementation at a representative airport and subsequent long term observation in live operation. This model implementation serves as a basis from which recommendations for a future European regulation of Aerodrome Safety Management Systems under the EASA system shall be derived.