Madrid, 27 January 2026 — David Benito, Director General of Civil Aviation for Spain and ECAC Focal Point for Facilitation, Patricia Reverdy, Executive Secretary of ECAC, and Nicolas Rallo, ICAO EUR/NAT Regional Director, opened the joint ECAC-ICAO EUR/NAT workshop on supporting air accident victims and their families through family assistance plans, hosted by Spain in Madrid on 27 January 2026.
The workshop brought together more than 70 participants from States, airlines, airports and family associations. Participants exchanged lessons learnt from past accidents, shared best practices, and explored the respective roles of States and industry in delivering effective and compassionate assistance to victims and their families.
The programme featured two sessions: the first examined the experiences of airlines and airports in assisting victims and their families in the aftermath of accidents, while the second explored approaches taken to developing State-level family assistance plans ready for implementation.
The conclusions of the workshop highlighted the importance of effective coordination between all stakeholders, State authorities and operators, in both the preparation of plans and exercises, to ensure a high level of preparedness and practical family assistance plans that will ultimately enhance the support provided to victims and their families.
A warm thank you to all speakers, panellists and participants for their engagement, expertise and thoughtful contributions, as well as to the host for their commitment to fostering meaningful dialogue on this critical issue.