The International Air Transport Association has identified data as a critical component in improved aviation safety.
"The data generated from the 100 000 safe flights each day can help us understand where the next threat or challenge may arise,” says director-general and CEO Alexandre de Juniac.
“We need to move ahead in this area with speed. The Iata Global Aviation Data Management programme (GADM) is vital to our future. It includes data from more than 470 organisations. Information provided through Iata’s Flight Data eXchange programme, a component of GADM, is already helping to identify potential hazards through the analysis of de-identified aircraft flight recorder data."
Another area where more data is needed involves the use of drones around airports and their potential hazard to aviation.
"The great majority of drone owners operate their devices responsibly, but the number of incidents is rising. There is significant work being developed at Icao (International Civil Aviation Organisation) to produce standards for the larger drones that are equipped to share the airspace with manned aircraft. However, we need to ensure that the smaller drones, whether intended for recreational or commercial use, are kept out of airspace used for approach and landing operations of air transport.
"A framework of data, dialogue among all stakeholders and global standards will help to ensure that we are able to take advantage of the great opportunities presented by drones, with no degradation in system safety or efficiency," said De Juniac.
