Andrezj Jeziorski/MUNICH
The International Flight Engineers Organisation (IFEO) has highlighted six areas in which it considers that action must be taken to counter spiralling air-accident fatalities.
At its 1996 general assembly in Munich, the organisation expressed "regret and dismay" at the increasing number of fatalities in air accidents worldwide. During the 12 months to 1 November, 1996, fatalities were recorded in accidents involving commercial flights - almost double the decade's annual average of 1,000.
In response, IFEO president Mike Hollyer says that the Organisation is demanding that Governments, airlines and aviation agencies take "all possible measures" to reduce this "appalling accident rate".
The general assembly passed a motion listing some of the areas where action is "-urgently required". The demands include:
-- raised standards of initial and recurrent training for aircrew and air traffic controllers;
-- the provision of robust support to the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) safety oversight programme;
-- infrastructure improvements, including radio and radar coverage, particularly in terminal areas;
-- the establishment of accident and serious-incident investigation procedures fully meeting ICAO Annex 13 standards;
-- the sharing of safety-related data derived from all sources throughout the industry;
-- equipping all airliners, including freighters, with traffic-alert and collision-avoidance systems.
"Without improvements in all these areas, backed by political will and adequate funding, world accident rates will continue to increase to ever more unacceptable levels," says Hollyer. He adds that the IFEO sees a trend rooted in all areas of airline operation.
The organisation is also concerned that cost-cutting in maintenance is leading to a greater possibility of poor-quality "bogus parts" being fitted to aircraft.
"There is more pressure to cut costs and more people are taking short cuts," adds secretary-general Stan Clayton-Smith, pointing to security questions highlighted by the Ethiopian Airlines hijacking in November.
Source: Flight International
