Transition Towards Performance Based Oversight - Stimuli and effects

Abstract

This paper talks about a new trend in supervising aviation organisations by aviation authorities. It wants to explain the need of transition from compliance based oversight towards performance based oversight.
Aviation regulations define the set of strict rules, which must be followed very closely, no exemptions are accepted. This is a very useful tool, that significantly improves safety especially in last decades. However, aviation evolves into very complex and extensive field that is hard to control as a whole. This fact has brought some difficulties, that finally act as stimuli for introduction novel oversight principles. There must be established some flexibility and introduced some objectives, instead of strict directives. Each subject shall reach them by its own way. Setting up the margins and focussing towards the safety objectives are the essential parts of, so called “Performance Based attitude”. Performance Based gives a new form of flexibility in managing safety, which is undeniably needed to handle a complex aviation system.
Each transition is accompanied by many changes, transition towards PBO is not an exception either. Even the small impulse could lead towards many changes within the complexity of networked aviation safety elements. This paper wants to attract the view towards these effects as well.