AFRAA, Flight Safety Foundation seek collaborations for safety

The African Airlines Association (AFRAA) and Flight Safety Foundation jointly organised the inaugural African Aviation Safety and Operations Summit on May 15, 2024, in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

The one-day summit, themed Championing Africa Aviation Safety Together, brought together aviation stakeholders to discuss, strategise and collaborate on shaping a safer future for African aviation, says an official release from AFRAA. "The summit addressed various aviation safety and operations facets, offering stakeholders a forum to discuss and exchange best practices."

While the African aviation industry’s safety performance has improved in recent years, more progress is needed to achieve global safety targets. "The absence of accidents does not necessarily mean the presence of safety."

Participants were presented with data on accidents and serious incidents to highlight high-risk categories in the region, prompting panellists to collectively explore and address underlying factors driving safety trends in African aviation, the release added. "The International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) global and regional high-risk categories remain a significant concern for Africa, especially regarding runway excursions, with eight occurrences reported since the start of 2024."

Throughout the one-day summit, participants exchanged numerous insights on the day’s topics, issues, and challenges. Participants called for more collaboration and cooperation among stakeholders to effectively implement safety requirements and best practices, including using technology and automation, which are crucial for ensuring safety, efficiency, and growth in the aviation industry.

Some challenges highlighted were in the following areas:

*Air navigation infrastructure safety and airports infrastructure safety;

*Capacity/capability of safety oversight bodies;

*Lack of effective safety data collection/information sharing, data-driven safety management; and,

*Investigation of all accidents and serious incidents.

The summit also identified a strong need for the establishment of priority actions:

*Commitment to Safety

*Operationalisation of existing initiatives – runway excursion

*Establishment of collaborative safety enhancement groups; and

*More specific training

Click here to download African Aviation Safety and Operations Summit Report