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2006 is Safest
Year on Record for Air Transport The
International Air Transport Association (IATA)
recently released its annual Safety Report, showing
that 2006 was the safest year on
record. "The safety
results for 2006 are impressive. Air transport
remains the safest form of travel. But we must do
even better. With demand for air travel increasing
at 5-6% per year, the accident rate must decrease
just to keep the actual number of accidents in
check. The goal will always be zero accidents. And
the interim target is to reduce the industry rate
to 0.49 accidents per million flights in
2008&emdash;a 25% improvement," said Giovanni
Bisignani, IATA's Director General and
CEO. The 2006
industry hull loss rate was 0.65 accidents per
million flights for Western-built jets, which is
equivalent to one accident for every 1.5 million
flights&emdash;a 14% improvement on 2005. IATA's
member airlines performed significantly better than
the global average with a hull-loss rate of 0.48
accidents per million flights, or one accident for
every two million flights. There were 77
accidents in 2006, compared to 111 in 2005. Of
these 77 accidents, 46 involved jet aircraft and 31
involved turbo-props. The full report
is available for purchase at http://www.iata.org/ps/publications/safety_report.htm. With
25% Hike in Airport Improvement Fee Bisignani's
comments were in response to the GTAA's
announcement of a 25% increase in its airport
improvement fee (AIF) from C$12 per passenger to
C$15. IATA is in a long-standing dispute with GTAA
over funding for its extravagant airport expansion
project which generated over C$6 billion in
debt. As the
industry struggles to recover from US$30 billion in
losses accumulated over its three worst years, cost
reduction is an industry priority. Record high fuel
prices are adding to cost pressures. IATA is
working with airport and air navigation service
providers around the world to set efficiency
targets that will result in meaningful cost
reductions. ‚“While the rest of the
industry is looking to increase efficiency, Toronto
is in a league of its own with respect to price
hikes. GTAA increased the landing fee rate by 208%
since 1998 and we don't see any relief in
sight,‚” said Bisignani. “This
increase is yet another reminder of the need for a
comprehensive review of the National Airports
policy,” said Bisignani. IATA
continues to urge the Government to reduce Crown
Rents charged to the airport and improve the
governance of airport authorities. ”Successful
resolution of the issues at Toronto is essential to
the health of Canada's air transport industry. We
hope that Minister LaPierre will make a review of
the National Airports Policy and successful
resolution of the Toronto issue priorities for his
Ministry,” said
Bisignani. GTAA
increased the landing fee rate year-on-year by
35.6% in 1999, 1.2% in 2000, 12.1% in 2001, 22.0%
in 2002, 28.8% in 2003 and 27.4% in
2004. FAA
Approves IATA's Airline Safety Audit
Programme GENEVA: The US
Federal Aviation Administration's approval today of
the IATA Operational Safety Audit (IOSA) programme
"is a valuable step in strengthening global safety
standards," said Giovanni Bisignani, IATA Director
General and CEO. "The United
States and its aviation partners around the world
share a commitment to improving global aviation
safety. This new audit accreditation programme is
an important step toward achieving a single
international set of audit standards that will make
flying safer," said FAA Administrator Marion C.
Blakey. Many
governments, including the US Department of
Transportation, require their flag airlines to
audit foreign code-share partners. The FAA's
recognition of IOSA
[http://www.faa.gov/apa/pr/2004/july04.cfm]
permits US carriers to use the programme's
accredited audit organisations to comply with the
US audit requirement rather than perform an audit
themselves. "IOSA is
the world's only airline safety audit programme
incorporating globally recognised standards and
best practices," Bisignani said. "IOSA is
available to all airlines and will bring great
benefits by confirming the thoroughness of
operational structures and enhancing code-share
opportunities." Bisignani noted
that airlines in the US and elsewhere will be
spared performing redundant audits of prospective
code-share partners provided those partners hold
upstanding IOSA audits, which are valid for two
years. To make IOSA as accessible as possible
to all airlines, IATA is absorbing the programme's
operating costs in 2004. "IOSA creates
the first global industry benchmark for safety
while removing the inefficiency of repetitive
auditing," he said. "Today's announcement is
not only an approval but a validation of the joint
commitment by FAA and IATA to improving global
aviation safety." Following are
highlights of a Q&A on IOSA. Q: What is the
goal of IOSA? A: To provide a
standardized audit programme of the operational
management and control systems of an airline that
is based on internationally-recognised standards
and supported by a rigorous quality assurance
process, for the purpose of serving the airline
industry in terms of improving worldwide operations
and reducing the number of operational audits that
are conducted. All airlines (IATA and non-IATA) are
welcome to seek an IOSA audit. All IATA member
airlines have committed to seek registration as an
IOSA Operator by January 1, 2006. Q: Which
operational areas of an airline are audited under
the IOSA Programme (i.e. what is the scope of the
audit)? A: IOSA audits
the following areas: · Corporate
Organisation & Management · Flight
Operations · Operational
Control/Flight Dispatch · Aircraft
Engineering & Maintenance · Cabin
Operations · Aircraft
Ground Handling · Cargo
Operations · Operational
Security |
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