Authors : Nicolas Jean Lejeune

Volume/Issue : Volume 10 - 2025, Issue 12 - December

Google Scholar : https://tinyurl.com/2k5szfzm

Scribd : https://tinyurl.com/yc3vs7eu

DOI : https://doi.org/10.38124/ijisrt/25dec1026

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Abstract : This study explores the regulatory and operational divergences between the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) and the United States Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) through a comparative policy analysis framework informed by institutional theory and safety-culture modeling. Although both agencies share the goal of maintaining the highest levels of aviation safety, their governance philosophies — prescriptive and compliance-driven under the FAA, performance-based and systemic under EASA — create distinct approaches to oversight, training, and safety management. Drawing on documentary evidence, safety audit data, and cross-regional reports from 2016–2024, the study identifies four high-impact divergence domains: checklist execution, rejected take-off (RTO) logic, fatigue-risk modeling, and accountability structures. Empirical metrics from FAA ASIAS and EASA Data4Safety illustrate how these differences manifest in operational practice. The findings demonstrate that harmonization should focus on achieving functional equivalence rather than regulatory uniformity, emphasizing data interoperability, competency mapping, and shared AI-based oversight frameworks.

Keywords : EASA, FAA, Aviation Safety, Harmonization, Pilot Training, Regulatory Frameworks, International Standards, CRM; SMS; Automation; Cross-Border Operations.

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