Aims
The aim of this briefing document is to establish that there is an issue which needs to be
addressed at European level in relation to the management of safety in and around
airports. This issue arises because of the interaction of a number of different trends (in
technology, traffic and environment). The interaction of these recent trends poses an
increase in identifiable risk. Another reason for specific immediate attention to airport
safety lies in the emerging evidence, primarily created in the wake of the 747 crash in
Amsterdam in 1992, which shows that the risk to the population living around the airport
due to possible aircraft accidents, is comparable to the risk around chemical plants, which
are strictly regulated in that regard. And finally, recent events (Dusseldorf 1996 and
Heathrow 1997) show that the safety of large numbers of occupants of terminal buildings
may be jeopardised in case of an emergency (for example, fires).