Sir - You were right to give the US Federal Aviation Administration finalist status in the Flight International Aerospace Industry Awards 1996 Safety Section, but the illustration of a LanChile freighter shows the problem behind the FAA's policy.
Firstly, Chile is among the safe countries on the International Air Shipping Association's (IASA) list;
Secondly, confusion can arise, causing whole regions to be associated with low standards. The existence of a few South American countries with an IASA "3" grade obviously gave rise to the assumption that Chile must be among those nations;
Thirdly, people rarely distinguish between the classification of a country's safety-oversight policy and the procedures of an airline.
LanChile has an outstanding safety record, highly skilled and conscientious professionals and a modern, excellently maintained intercontinental fleet.
RAINER UPHOFF
President
Air Andalucia
Granada, Spain
Source: Flight International
