..Says Collaboration Key To Aviation Development
The International Air Transport Association (IATA) has declared that safety and flight operations are the first priority of the international airline body.
This is just as the organisation stated that collaboration is key for aviation development.
IATA whose mission is to represent, lead and serve the airline industry, made this declaration through its Area Manager, South West Africa,
Samson Fatokun, while presenting a paper titled, “Collaboration for Sustainable Aviation in Nigeria” Association of Foreign Airlines &Representatives In Nigeria (AFARN) 2015 Safety Summit with the theme, “Collaborating For Sustainable Aviation In Nigeria :Through Safety To Performance” in Lagos at the weekend.
The IATA official pointed out that that the key issues in aviation are to continually improve aviation safety, increase value through partnership, protect the interests of the industry and reduce environmental impact, adding that of these very import issues, the first priority of IATA is safety and flight operations.
On the IATA Operation Safety Audit(IOSA),Fatokun disclosed that there are a total of 392 airlines on IOSA registry, adding that of this number, 244 are members while 148 non members.
He added that Nigeria has three airlines; Aero, Arik Air and First Nation as members, adding that what this means is that the level of safety which the international airlines on the registry have is what these three airlines have.
Speaking on IATA Safety Audit for Ground Operations (ISAGO) which is aimed at improving safety and cutting airline costs by drastically reducing ground accidents and injuries, Fatokun, said that ISAGO has 316 ground handling companies on registry, adding that it equally has 172 Ground Service Providers (GSPs) in 203 airports across the world.
He said that the Nigerian Aviation Handling Company (NAHCo) and Sky Way Aviation Handling Company (SAHCHOL) are on ISAGO registry for the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Lagos.
Fatokun also revealed that airlines that are on IOSA registry from available records recorded less accidents in 2014 compared to airlines that have not passed IOSA; non member.
To buttress his point Fatokun cited the accident level in Africa-Indian Ocean (AFI) Region for non IOAS members that stood at 19.62,while the accident recorded in the same region for IOSA registered airlines stood at 1.95 per cent
In Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region, the ICAO official disclosed that the accident from non IOSA member airlines stood at 9.69 per cent while airlines on IOSA registry recorded 1.52 per cent in 2014.
Non member of IOSA in the NASIA region recorded 5.95 per cent accidents while IOSA registered recorded 0.52 per cent
On the whole, he stated that non registered airlines recorded 3.37 while IOSA registered recorded 1.08 accident rate in 2014
On the IATA Billing and Settlement Plan( BSP),he stated that before IATA registration in Nigeria less than 100 Nigerian travels could sell international airlines ticket but that in 2014, through IATA BSP, over 700 Nigerian travel agents have unlimited access to international airlines tickets .