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Passengers each year rely on the airline industry to get to their destination safely. Their safe passage is due to the tireless efforts of industry stakeholders. Working together, we have made aviation the safest form of travel.

However, recent events and uncertainties remind us that this impressive safety record is still subject to unlikely events. 

When an aircraft is diverted, disrupted or lost, there is a strong need for mechanisms to deal with the aftermath and recovery. IATA supports airlines with Emergency Response Planning (ERP) best practices to manage and recover from such events. 

 

IATA ERP Mentorship Scheme

 

The IATA Emergency Response Planning Task Force is pleased to announce the launch of a new Mentorship Scheme - an initiative designed to strengthen connections within the global ERP community, foster shared learning, and build on the strong foundation of collaboration across ERP professionals.

This initiative was developed in direct response to feedback received during previous IATA ERP Forums.  It helps pair ERP professionals from across the industry to encourage learning, new perspectives and support the development of meaningful professional relationships.

 

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ERP Guidance

Download this compilation of ERP Regulations, Standards and Guidance for Civil Aviation (pdf), for an overview of current best practices for operators (updated October 2024).

Help Everyone Stay Up to Date

 

Use our form to submit a Family Assistance and/or ERP regulatory change.

ERP Annual Forum

The ERP Forum brings together senior emergency response experts from airlines, airports, and IATA Strategic Partners to discuss the evolving ERP landscape. It provides a platform for the exchange of knowledge and experience, contributing to the enhancement of emergency response worldwide.

The 2026 ERP Forum will take place on 5 October in Istanbul at the Hilton Istanbul Bomonti Hotel & Conference Center. Registration coming soon. 

The ERP Forum will be co-located with the IATA World Operations and Safety Conference (WSOC), scheduled for October 6–8. The WSOC will include a dedicated three-day Crisis Management track, expanding the scope beyond ERP-specific themes to encompass a broader range of crisis-related topics and practical resilience-building strategies. 

The latest edition of the annual ERP Forum was held on 15 October 2025, collocated with the IATA World Safety and Operations Conference (WSOC), Xiamen, China. Find out what was discussed during the ERP Forum 2025:

Download previous reports:

ERP Publications
 		ERP Training

ERP Task Force

Mission Statement

 

To serve as a center of excellence for strategic and tactical guidance, expertise, and consultation in emergency response, providing advisory support to the Safety Group, IATA Management, and relevant stakeholders. 

The Task Force aims to establish and align best practices to meet evolving industry needs. It encourages standardization across the global aviation industry, and promotes a culture of empathy, care, and collaboration to enhance safety, coordination, and resilience.

The ERP Task Force's (ERPTF) work plan focuses on these areas: 

  1. Moderate ERP related changes to the IOSA Standards Manual
  2. Delivering the IATA ERP Forum
  3. Provide guidance to the Passenger Services Conference Resolution on aircraft accident response  when traveling interline


ERP Task Force overarching objectives

  • Act as a center of excellence for all ERP matters worldwide for member and non-member airlines
  • Maintain operating standards and guidance to improve ERP worldwide 
  • Bring together airline ERP experts for annual information and best practice sharing
  • Create mutual aid agreements to provide assistance during activation of emergency response plans
  • Build an ERP community formed of airlines and other stakeholders such as airports, service providers, consultants, regulators, and agencies (WHO, CDC, ICAO, EASA)
  • Represent the airline industry on ICAO and EASA events.

For more information on ERP in the world of aviation, please contact us at erp@iata.org

ERP Technical Bulletins

Find here the supporting information for Airline ERP arrangements.