IATA Safety Conference kicks off in Dubai

The event seeks to optimize the operation of interlines and guarantee safety 

Safety Conference 2002 has started in Dubai. The event is organized by the International Air Transport Association (IATA) and is supported by Emirates as the host airline.

“Aviation executives need to demonstrate safety leadership and strong commitment and then make sure that vision is communicated throughout the organization. This is critical to ensuring continued high levels of safety as the industry emerges from the turbulence and disruption of the past two years and demand for air travel accelerates,” said Nick Careen, senior vice president of operations, safety and security at IATA.

IATA has developed a Safety Leadership Charter in consultation with IATA members and the wider aviation community, to help executives develop a positive safety culture within their organizations that improves safety performance and operational resilience. .

Also high on the Safety Conference agenda is the evolution of IATA’s Operational Safety Audit (IOSA) towards a risk-based model, under which audits will be tailored to each airline’s risk profile. IOSA is a requirement for IATA membership and safety data confirms that, on the whole, airlines on the IOSA register have a lower accident rate than airlines not on the IOSA register. In 2021, the rate for all airline accidents on the IOSA registry was more than six times better than the rate for non-IOSA airlines (0.45 vs. 2.86). However, as industry safety levels improve, future accident rate reductions will increasingly depend on an adaptive approach, based on risks and data. At the same time, to be relevant to safety improvements, airlines need IOSA to align with risk factors specific to their operations.

“IOSA is recognized as the gold standard for airline operational safety. Today, however, we have access to much more operational data than when IOSA was created nearly 20 years ago, allowing it to be even more effective. Focusing on relevant security risks while maintaining a security baseline will help raise the security bar even higher,” said Careen.

Keynote addresses will be delivered by Sir Tim Clark, Chairman of Emirates Airline, Billy Nolen, Acting Administrator of the US Federal Aviation Administration, and Nick Careen, IATA Senior Vice President, Operations, Safety and Security.

Nick Careen, IATA
Source: Twitter @IATA