'African airlines can meet 2015 security deadline'

Safety remains the most pressing issue facing the African aviation industry. According to the International Air Transport Association (Iata) it is ready to support and help African airlines that have indicated they will be fully compliant with Iata’s Operational Safety Audit (Iosa) by no later than 2015. Asked if this was a realistic target as many airlines were already hinting that they would not be able to meet the deadline to have the 900+ standards of the Iosa in place, Iata’s director general and CEO Tony Tyler said they were confident that all of Africa’s airlines would be compliant by 2015. “We are ready and able to help any airline who wants to become compliant. There is funding available and we can have workshops up and running. We believe that world class safety is possible in Africa,” he said. While Iata’s 20 sub-Saharan members are performing in line with the global average on safety – as are the 24 sub- Saharan airlines that have met the standards of Iosa – African aviation safety remains a challenge if one looks at the entire industry. The overall accident rate is many times the global average. According to Tyler, safety remains a top priority not just in Africa but all over the world. “One of the longeststanding partnerships between industry and governments is on safety. Flying is safer than ever,” he said. “Last year there was not a single hull loss with a Western-built jet among our 240 member airlines or among the 387 airlines on the Iosa registry.” But, said Tyler, there was still more work to do. “If we include all aircraft types then 2012 saw 75 accidents and 414 fatalities. These remind us of the great responsibility to those who trust us with their lives and their goods.” He said geographically the biggest challenge was undoubtedly Africa where the accident rate has been calculated to be about 18 times worse than the global average. “But the safety performance of African airlines on the Iosa registry, including our African members, aligns with the global average,” he said making it imperative to get all airlines in Africa on the registry. “This means that world-class safety is possible in Africa. With the Abuja Declaration African governments have committed to achieve the world-class levels as required by Iosa by 2015.” INSERT ‘In Africa the accident rate has been calculated to be about 18 times worse than the global average.’ – Tony Tyler CAPTION Tony Tyler