IATA, Rwanda CAA ink MoU for aviation safety

Aug 14, 2018: The International Air Transport Association (IATA) and the Rwanda Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to partner for the improvement of aviation safety. Under the MoU, the parties will work together to establish a framework for using the IATA Operational Safety Audit (IOSA) to complement Rwanda’s safety oversight.

"Rwanda CAA is committed to improving African aviation safety. Our partnership with IATA will help us to do that by taking greater advantage of IOSA in our safety oversight program,” said Silas Udahemuka, director general CAA of Rwanda.

The Abuja Declaration (2015) committed African governments to establish a framework for recognition of IOSA and for all African airlines to obtain IOSA registration by 2020. Rwanda will become the second African state after Zimbabwe to fulfil this commitment once MoU is implemented.

IOSA was established in 2003 to be the global benchmark for airline operational safety management. Today some 440 airlines are on the IOSA registry of which some 290 are IATA members.

In 2017, the accident rate for airlines on the IOSA registry was nearly four times better than that of non-IOSA airlines (0.56 vs. 2.17 accidents per million flights) and it was nearly three times better over the 2012-16 period. This trend carries through to Africa where the 34 African airlines with an IOSA registration delivered safety performance more than three times better than African carriers not on the registry.

“Congratulations to the Rwanda CAA for their decision to complement their safety oversight with IOSA. We look forward to working with the Government of Rwanda to turn the words of this MoU into actions that will further improve aviation safety. And we hope that our work together will be an inspiration to other African governments to take similar action in fulfilling their Abuja Declaration commitments,” said Muhammad Albakri, IATA’s regional VP for Africa and Middle East.