Commission Regulation (EU) No 965/20122 lays down detailed rules for commercial air transport operations with aeroplanes and helicopters, including ramp inspections of aircraft of operators under the safety oversight of another Member State or of a third country, when landed at aerodromes located in the territory subject to the provisions of the Treaty. That Regulation also stipulates that crew members are not to carry out duties on an aircraft when under the influence of psychoactive substances or when unfit due to injury, fatigue, medication, sickness or other similar causes.

The European Aviation Safety Agency (‘the Agency’) has identified a number of safety risks and issued recommendations to mitigate those risks. The implementation of some of those recommendations requires regulatory changes as regards the psychological assessment of the flight crew before commencing line flying, the implementation of a support programme for flight crew, the carrying-out of random alcohol testing on flight and cabin crew members by Member States, and systematic testing of psychoactive substances of flight and cabin crew members by commercial air transport operators.

With regards to psychoactive substance testing, the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) Manual on Prevention of Problematic Use of Substances in the Aviation Workplace (Doc 9654) should be taken into account.

The existing ramp inspection programme referred to in Subpart RAMP of Annex II to Regulation (EU) No 965/2012 already provides a framework for the systematic, structured and risk-based inspection of operators containing extensive provisions and safeguards for, inter alia, data protection, inspector training, risk-based sampling, the grounding of aircraft and preventing unnecessary delays. It is therefore appropriate to apply that well-established framework to carry out alcohol tests on flight crew and cabin crew members. A flight crew or cabin crew member who refuses to cooperate during tests or who has been identified to be under the influence of psychoactive substances after a confirmed positive test is to be removed from duty.

In some Member States, random tests for psychoactive substances are already carried out by other officials than those authorised under Subpart RAMP of Annex II. Therefore, under certain conditions, Member States should be able to carry out alcohol tests on flight crew and cabin crew members outside of the framework of the ramp inspection programme of Annex II to Regulation (EU) No 965/2012.

Member States should also be given the possibility to carry out additional tests for the presence of psychoactive substances other than alcohol.

ICAO recommends in Parts I and II of Annex 6 to the Chicago Convention that turbine-powered aeroplanes with a maximum certified take-off mass (MCTOM) of 5 700 kg or less and a maximum operational passenger seating configuration between six and nine be equipped with a ground proximity warning system.

In order to be aligned with ICAO Standards and Recommended Practices and to mitigate the risks of controlled flights into terrain, Regulation (EU) No 965/2012 should be amended accordingly.

The measures provided for in this Regulation are based on Opinions No 14/2016 and No 15/2016 issued by the Agency in accordance with Article 19(1) of Regulation (EC) No 216/2008.

The measures provided for in this Regulation are in accordance with the opinion of the Committee established pursuant to Article 65 of Regulation (EC) No 216/2008,