Safety

Runway Safety

IATA and the US-based Flight Safety Foundation (FSF) made good progress in developing a Runway Safety programme. The project aims to establish guidance for airlines, airports and Air Traffic Control (ATC) authorities in order to reduce the number of runway excursions. In August, a group meeting was held in Cologne that included representatives from organizations like FSF, IATA, Eurocontrol, Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA), Airports Council International (ACI), Airbus and Boeing. The finalization of the tool kit is expected to be during the first quarter of 2009.

Enhancing Safety Information

IATA's Safety Trend Evaluation, Analysis and Data Exchange System (STEADES) is a free service offered by IATA to its members. Currently, there are 72 participating member airlines who benefit from the main functionality of sharing incident data.

In order to maximize the functionality, IATA decided to change the software this month. STEADES strength lies in the analysis of the data.

IATA Operational Safety Audit (IOSA) Registrations

IATA member airlines must be IOSA registered by 31 December 2008 and those remaining member airlines with audits not yet closed are working hard to address the corrective actions identified following their initial IOSA audit. IATA continues to assist these airlines through the Partnership for Safety Plus Programme (PfS). PfS Plus offers training and support assistance to close IOSA findings, promote continuous improvement and ongoing IOSA conformity. This assistance has generally taken the form of IOSA CARs (Corrective Actions) closing courses and PfS Awareness Seminars. To date, six courses have taken place in Thailand, Iran, Tanzania, South Africa, Azerbaijan and Malawi, which offered assistance to 19 airlines. Furthermore, a PfS Awareness Seminar was held in Brazil the week of 25 August with over 35 airlines and regulatory authority representatives in attendance.

Other courses and seminars will be held throughout the remainder of the year to ensure that all members meet the critical year-end deadline.

IATA Safety Audit for Ground Operations (ISAGO)

More ISAGO audits were conducted last month including the recent corporate and station level audits at Avianca in Bogota and Jardine Airport Services in Hong Kong. Additionally, Estonian Air has chosen to undergo the corporate element of the ISAGO audit at the same time as their renewal IOSA audits, taking advantage of the cost savings.

Over 25 ground handling companies and airlines are already in the audit pipeline and IATA is in the process of assembling audit teams.

Benefits

The benefits for airlines derived from the ISAGO programme are attracting a steady number of IATA members to the ISAGO Pool. Five airlines have recently joined the ISAGO Pool, raising the total to 17 carriers. Also, 86 additional airline auditors successfully completed training courses that took place in Geneva, London, Santiago and Singapore. IATA is considering the creation of additional training sessions for auditors to satisfy the demand.

The success of the ISAGO Information Seminars was demonstrated again during the Seattle session 4-5 September. The audience included airlines, ground handling companies, regulatory agencies and airports from North America.

Don't miss the upcoming seminars planned for the following months, including:
Amman - 15-16 October, hosted by Royal Jordanian
Beijing - 27-28 October, co-hosted by the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) Guayaquil - 25-26 November, hosted by the Terminal Aeroportuaria de Guayaquil S.A (TAGSA)

Fonte: IATA 25/09/2008.