EASA
European Union Aviation Safety Agency — the EU regulator whose Air Operations rules set cabin crew training, attestation and duty limits.
Definition
EASA is the European Union Aviation Safety Agency, an EU agency based in Cologne that writes and oversees the common aviation safety rules applied in all EU member states plus Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland. For cabin crew its most important texts are the Air Operations regulation (EU 965/2012), which contains the flight time limitations in Subpart ORO.FTL, and Part-CC, which sets the cabin crew attestation and training standards. National authorities such as Ireland's IAA or Germany's LBA enforce the rules; EASA writes them. The UK left EASA in 2021 and the UK CAA now runs a parallel rulebook.
What it means for you
If you fly for any EU-based airline, EASA rules define how long you can be on duty, how much rest you must get, what training you must complete and what certificate you must hold. Learning the ORO.FTL numbers lets you check your own roster is legal; knowing Part-CC tells you what a Cabin Crew Attestation is worth. Outside Europe, EASA is still the reference many regulators borrow from, which is why its concepts travel.
In practice
Under EASA's ORO.FTL the basic maximum flight duty period for an acclimatised crew member is 13 hours, minimum rest is 12 hours at home base and 10 away, and a commander may extend an FDP by up to 2 hours for unforeseen circumstances.
Go deeper
Related terms
4 terms- FTLRegulationFlight time limitations — a regulator's legal caps on duty, flight hours and minimum rest: the only hard limit on what a roster can ask.
- Cabin crew attestationRecruitmentThe EASA Cabin Crew Attestation (CCA): proof you have completed approved initial safety training, required to fly for any EU airline.
- Flight duty periodRoster & schedulingThe regulated window from report for a flying duty to engines off after the last sector; the core limit protecting crew from fatigue.
- FAARegulationThe Federal Aviation Administration — US regulator whose Part 121 rules govern flight attendant training, duty and rest at US airlines.