When temperatures drop, aviation enters one of its most demanding phases: the deicing season. During these critical winter operations, clear, standardized communication between pilots and ground crews becomes a key safety factor. A single misunderstanding can cause costly delays, operational risks, or safety incidents.
To minimize these risks, an increasing number of airports are now introducing ICAO Language Proficiency certification for their deicing personnel — ensuring communication remains precise, structured, and professional, even under pressure.
Language Skills as a Safety Tool
Deicing procedures require speed, accuracy, and seamless coordination between flight crews and ground staff. Consistent, standardized communication plays a decisive role in managing safety-critical processes.
Regular aviation English training and certification for aviation personnel in accordance with ICAO standards and EASA ADR.OPS.B.029 ensure that everyone involved — from cockpit to ramp — speaks the same operational language. This shared understanding helps to:
- Prevent misunderstandings in high-pressure situations
- Support smooth, efficient workflows
- Strengthen overall safety performance
In multilingual and multicultural work environments, clear communication bridges cultural differences and ensures that safety information is conveyed correctly — every time.
With sayagain.aero, a dedicated service by Volando, airports and ground handling providers can certify their deicing teams efficiently and in full compliance with ICAO and EASA ADR.OPS.B.029 requirements.
Our solution includes:
- EASA-certified ICAO English testing (Levels 4–6) online
- Tailored question sets focused specifically on deicing communication and operational phraseology
- Targeted Aviation English training materials designed specifically for the ICAO Language Proficiency Test
- Optional Aviation English training courses for operational personnel to enhance communication and performance in daily operations
This ensures that every deicer is fully prepared in both communication and operations to manage complex, time-critical communication during winter operations — from deicing coordination to cockpit interaction.
Case Study: Munich Airport
A leading example of this approach is EFM — a joint venture between Lufthansa and Munich Airport. EFM is responsible for critical ground operations at Munich Airport, including deicing, towing, and aircraft handling.
All deicing personnel are trained and certified to ICAO English Level 4 using sayagain.aero’s in-house developed testing platform, specifically tailored to their operational environment. The customized question sets and aviation-specific scenarios ensure that each participant is evaluated within a familiar operational context — enabling them to demonstrate their true communication competence and professional potential under realistic conditions.
“Since July 2021, EFM has been successfully collaborating with Volando to conduct ICAO language proficiency tests for our employees. In 2023, this business relationship was further strengthened. We can highly recommend Volando without reservation. In addition to the exceptionally professional exchange on a business level, we would also like to highlight the always pleasant and personal interaction.” — Edgar Lindner (Head of Deicing Training, EFM)
Safer and More Efficient Winter Operations Through Clear Communication
Winter operations demand absolute clarity in every word exchanged between flight and ground crews. By implementing ICAO and EASA language proficiency standards for deicing personnel, operators can enhance communication, reduce operational risks, and strengthen safety culture across their organizations.
With sayagain.aero, powered by Volando, your teams gain the certified language competence needed to ensure safe, efficient, and compliant winter operations — even in the harshest weather conditions.
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