Jordan Times
Sunday, April 17, 2005
RJ awarded IATA Operational Safety Audit certification
Royal Jordanian was awarded the IATA Operational
Safety Audit (IOSA) certification on Saturday after successfully meeting the
stringent safety standards laid down by international air transport association.
RJ President and Chief Executive Officer Samer Majali received the IOSA
certificate from IATA Senior Vice President for Safety Operations and
Infrastructure Guenther Matschnigg during an official ceremony yesterday.
Majali said he was proud of the national carrier's achievement, which, after
years of upgrading in safety and training, had now joined the ranks of 27 other
IOSA-approved international air carriers.
Among 270 global airlines RJ is the 28th to have attained the IOSA certification
and the second among Arab airlines.
“We are proud that IOSA has crowned the efforts of RJ employees who have worked
hard continuously over these past 15 months, especially that, unlike other
carriers, we did not seek the assistance of outside consultants,” said Majali.
The CEO noted that RJ's IOSA certification would effectively enhance the
airline's operations and management levels as well as its air and ground safety
standards.
“It introduces new systems and procedures that are certain to increase the
airline's operational competence... in addition to setting up modern quality
assurance methods that will ensure the airline maintains this standard,” he
added.
The standardised audit programme, launched by IATA in July 2003 and mandatory
for all international airlines to attain by the year 2007, assesses the
operational management and control systems of airlines worldwide.
The audit process is also designed to assist airlines strengthen safety
standards and help them promote cost-efficiency by reducing the redundancy of
audit resource requirements through audit sharing.
IATA-accredited aviation auditors assess various fields of airline operations
such as corporate organisation and management, flight operations, operational
control and flight dispatch, aircraft engineering and maintenance, cabin
operations, ground handling, cargo operations and operational security.
IOSA-approved airlines like RJ benefit in a wide range of areas such as having a
more structured audit methodology, including standardised checklists, and
eliminating audit redundancy through mutual acceptance of audit reports.
The national carrier can also develop auditor-training courses for the airline
industry.
Majali said RJ now had a greater opportunity to compete with international
carriers and enter into code-share alliances with other airlines.
The fact that only 27 airlines have so far attained (the IOSA) certification
showed there was tough competition among hundreds of global air carriers to
attain that goal, Majali noted.
“I am sure that this will be a significant incentive for RJ to improve its
services and better compete in the global aviation industry,” said Majali.
Matschnigg said he was pleased that RJ was among the few companies in the region
to obtain the IOSA, “all due entirely to its own employees' efforts.”
He added that IOSA, which adopts a standardised measure for air safety
practices, was developed to replace other programmes accredited by the
international air transport sector.
Matschnigg indicated that the civil aviation sector, over the past years, has
been able to reduce aircraft accidents and facilitate the code-share alliances
among airlines, all conducive to achieving cost- efficiency.
As part of its role, IATA oversees accreditation of Audit Organisations and
Endorsed Training Organisations, ensure continuous development of IOSA Standards
and Recommended Practices, as well as manage the central database of IOSA audit
reports.
The IOSA programme is accredited by the International Civil Aviation
Organisation, the Federal Aviation Authority and various aviation authorities
around the world.
Minister of Industry and Trade Sharif Zu'bi, Civil Aviation Authority Director
General Suleiman Obeidat, IATA Regional Vice President for Middle East and North
Africa Majdi Sabri, Regional Director for Safety, Operations and Infrastructures
for Middle East and North Africa Jihad Faqir and RJ officials attended
yesterday's ceremony.