IATA outlines critical safety priorities at Xiamen World Safety and Operations Conference Condere at Ettravelworld

Image credit – iStock-868924070

The International Air Transport Association (IATA) has highlighted three key priorities for strengthening the safety and operational capability of global aviation, protecting and developing international standards, promoting a leadership-led safety culture and strengthening data insights to improve performance. The announcement was made at the opening of IATA’s World Safety and Operations Conference (WSOC) in Xiamen, China.

Mark Searle, Security, IIATA, said, “Strong leadership, robust compliance and data protection are essential for airline operations and regulatory fragmentation to prevent and threaten airline closures and escalations.

To defend and develop global standards
The IATA emphasized the urgent need to maintain and modernize aviation standards. Global navigation satellite system (GNSS) interference has increased by more than 200 percent since 2021. In partnership with the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA), IATA launched the GNSS Floor Sweeper plan, which focuses on monitoring, prevention, backup systems and civil-military coordination. The organization also called on the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) to provide global standards and guidance on this issue.

IATA has called for expanding 5G and 6G networks to protect aviation’s radio spectrum, as interference risks continue to affect airports in markets such as the United States, Canada and Australia. Ongoing accident investigations have also been highlighted, resulting in IATA’s latest reports that between 2019 and 2023, a total of 58 per cent of accidents prevented safety improvements.

Using data for performance
With its global aviation data management (GADM) program, IATA is developing predictive safety and operational analysis. The Maintenance and Maintenance Database, used by 3,200 aircraft covering 217 airlines, is an example of a data tool that helps predict risks. The risk-based iOSA audit model has already developed more than 8,000 corrective actions to improve safety outcomes.

Leadership and safety culture
IATA also highlighted its leadership as the foundation of a strong safety culture. Safety Leadership Charter now covers 90 percent of global traffic, IATA Connect, a collaborative digital platform with more than 5,600 users, supports safety documentation and issue management across 600 organizations.

Join the 2M+ community of industry professionals.

Subscribe to the newsletter to get the latest insights and analysis in your inbox.

EttravelWorld industry on your smartphone.