Latin American Air Safety: an Embarrassment

The International Air Transport Association (IATA) says Latin America's air accident rate is twice the global average, calling some regional safety regulations a "dangerous embarrassment". IATA Director General Giovanni Bisignani said the accident rate in Latin America fell from one accident for...

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The International Air Transport Association (IATA) says Latin America's air accident rate is twice the global average, calling some regional safety regulations a "dangerous embarrassment".

IATA Director General Giovanni Bisignani said the accident rate in Latin America fell from one accident for every 400,000 flights in 2005 to one accident for every 600,000 flights in 2007 but it still remains double the global average.

On the plus side, Brazil and Panama has taken a significant step to improve safety by committing to incorporate the IATA Operational Safety Audit (IOSA) into their respective national safety oversight programs.

IOSA is the global standard for aviation safety management. It is a membership requirement for IATA members but is available to all airlines. IATA notes that there are 20 Latin American airlines on the IOSA registry with eight more in the quality control process.

Brazil and Panama join Chile, Costa Rica, and Mexico, which are the other three Latin American countries to incorporate IOSA into their aviation safety programs "Five Latin American countries participating in IOSA are not enough. It is crucial that more states join quickly for the benefit of our members and passengers," Bisignani said.

He called for immediate action to reverse a dangerous trend of diverging safety regulations across individual countries in the region. There are more than 250 safety deficiencies with regard to ICAO standards in the region.

"This is unacceptable and must be improved immediately. Cooperation and a broader view based on global standards are necessary to address unique infrastructure challenges and upgrade the aging and insufficient air traffic control technology. Safety knows no borders and safety regulation must converge again," Bisignani said.

Regarding Brazil and two widely reported fatal accidents, IASA developed a safety strategy that is being implemented by the Brazilian government. Elements include eliminating ATC deficiencies resulting from weak English language proficiencies, infrastructure improvement, correcting the impacts of airport under-investment and looking for ways to incorporate IOSA into oversight programs.

There are fundamental regulatory issues in this region, the head of IATA stated. "Post-war civil aviation began with a high degree of commonality based on US FAA standards. It then developed into a patchwork of national safety regulations and a long list of 250 deficiencies from ICAO standards. This is a dangerous embarrassment for this region. Safety knows no borders and safety regulation much converge again. The spectacular geography of this region presents unique infrastructure challenges. Many airports are located on limited ground, close to mountains," he noted.

He believes "technology can make them much safer." A "to do" list of projects starts with: expanded GNSS/RNAV terminal procedures to reduce the danger of controlled flight into terrain; develop a regional ADS-B implementation plan to replace the antiquated radar system; improve runway safety with new technology like Engineered Materials Arresting Systems. (EMALS)); and, improve runway surveillance.