IATA has kicked out six airlines for failing to meet a deadline at the end of December 2006 for contracting an accredited firm to conduct an IATA operational safety audit (IOSA).
Although the IOSA programme was launched in 2003, 117 of IATA's 250 members have not yet been audited. Of these, 111 have contracted one of the seven firms licensed by IATA to carry out the audits. The other six were sent termination letters in mid-January from director general Giovanni Bisignani.
"They are very small airlines you [have] probably never heard of," Bisignani says, adding one is from Latin America and "a couple" are from Asia and Russia. He says IATA is "concerned" about losing six members and about potentially losing more members who may fail to pass the audit by the end of 2008. But Bisignani says safety is of utmost importance to the association: "Our goal is not to eliminate members but to increase the safety bar."
He points out that while 2006 was "the safest year ever", further improvement is possible. IATA members experienced 0.41 hull losses per million flights in 2006, compared with an industry-wide hull loss rate of 0.65. IATA's target is a 25% reduction in the accident rate by 2008 and Bisignani believes IOSA, the first global airline standard for airline safety management audits, will help achieve this.
IATA requires all audits be done by the end of December 2007. The findings must be completed and all remedial actions required by the auditors must be in place by the end of 2008. Members which miss either of these deadlines will also be kicked out. "Some will have problems passing the audit," Bisignani acknowledges.
But he says the IOSA requirement is also prompting many carriers to improve their safety standards, which in turn will allow them to pass. IATA has set aside $3 million for its "partnership for safety" programme, which is helping members from developing countries improve their safety standards and pass the audit. Half these funds will be spent in 2007. "Our job is to help airlines improve their safety," Bisignani says.
Giovanni says: "Russia is the biggest problem" followed by Africa. Last year there were eight hull losses per million flight hours in the CIS and four hull losses per million flight hours in Africa.
Russia is also posing the biggest barrier to IATA's goal of 100% e-tickets by the end of 2007. Bisignani says 73% of IATA tickets are now paperless, but there are still no e-tickets in Russia.
He says the Russian government has promised to introduce new legislation rescinding an existing law that makes the issuing of e-tickets illegal, but warns some Russian carriers may still not be able meet the deadline because of the significant back office work required to switch to e-tickets.
The Middle East is also behind, with only 15% of tickets now paperless, but Bisignani is encouraged by major investment in the region. Asia-Pacific and Africa are also slightly behind at 60% and 63% paperless, respectively.
Source: Airline Business
