IATA launches programme to improve aviation safety in Africa

The International Air Transport Association (IATA) is launching the Collaborative Aviation Safety Improvement Program (CASIP) to reduce the accident and serious incident rate across Africa as part of the Focus Africa initiative.

Launch partners in the programme are: International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), African Civil Aviation Commission (AFCAC), U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), Boeing and Airlines Association of Southern Africa (AASA), says a release from IATA.

"Together, the CASIP partners will prioritise the most pressing safety concerns on the continent and rally the resources needed to address them. The benefits of improving aviation safety in Africa will be spread across the economies and societies of the continent."

Willie Walsh, Director General, IATA says: “Improving aviation safety will play an important role in Africa’s overall development. Safe, efficient and reliable air connectivity is a major driving contribution to the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals. In that sense, CASIP will make it clear to governments across the continent that aviation must be prioritised as an integral part of national development strategies. With such broad benefits at stake, we hope that other parties will be encouraged to join the CASIP effort."

The starting point for safety improvement is the effective use of global standards for safety, the release said. At the government level, a key indicator is effective implementation of ICAO Standards and Recommended Practices (SARPS). "Data for 2022 reveals considerable room for improvement with only 28 of 54 African states reaching an effective implementation rate for ICAO SARPS of 60 percent or higher.

"The CASIP partners will

*Identify deficiencies in operational safety and implement corrective action plans

*Provide safety training and workshops continent wide; and

*Promote a data-driven approach to safety performance with emphasis on making safety data available to decision-makers and ensuring efficient accident/incident reporting."

Walsh says: "Improving safety performance is a priority for Africa. And we don’t need to reinvent the wheel to deliver the needed results. Collaborative safety teams in Latin America have demonstrated that safety improves when government and industry work together to implement global standards. By working together, the partners will pool resources to have a greater impact on areas where risk can be reduced, leading to measurable improvements in safety."