IATA plays an important part in ensuring aviation safety. Out of many programs, it has IOSA Audit an internationally recognized and accepted evaluation system. IOSA Audit designed to assess the operational safety management and control systems of airlines.
The IOSA audit creates IOSA standards that are comparable on a worldwide basis, enabling and maximizing the joint use of audit reports. This has saved the industry over 6400 redundant audits and continues to lead to extensive cost-savings for IOSA-participating airlines.
IATA is leading airlines to a high level of safety performance. Furthermore, many governments enforce the IOSA audit as a mandatory requirement for airlines to land at their airports.
In this article, I will give you a summary of the IATA Operational Safety Audit (IOSA) Program.
IATA IOSA Audit Benefits
Airlines and airports benefit from IOSA Audit by achieving these goals:
- Quality audit program under the stewardship of IATA
- Continuous updating of standards to reflect regulatory revisions and best practices
- Elimination of audit redundancy, reducing costs and audit resource requirements
- Accredited audit organizations with formally trained and qualified auditors
- Accredited training organizations with auditor training courses
- Structured audit methodology, standardized checklists
- Quality audit program under the stewardship of IATA
- Continuous updating of standards to reflect regulatory revisions and best practices
- Elimination of audit redundancy, reducing costs and audit resource requirements
- Accredited audit organizations with formally trained and qualified auditors
- Accredited training organizations with auditor training courses
- Structured audit methodology, standardized checklists.
IATA Membership versus IOSA Audit
All IATA members are IOSA registered and must remain registered to maintain IATA membership, but non-members can benefit from the program. As of December 2018, 139, (32%) of the 432 airlines on the IOSA Registry are non-IATA member airlines.
Improving Airline Safety
IATA performs IOSA audit to cover a wide scope of airline's management and operations which includes:
ORG – Organization & Management System
FLT- Flight Operations
DSP- Flight Dispatch
MNT- A/C Engineering & Maintenance
CAB- Cabin Operations
GRH- Ground Handling
CGO- Cargo Operations
SEC- Operational Security
Accordingly, Root cause analysis is carried out after completing the IOSA Audit to eliminate non-conformities to IOSA Standards And Recommended Practices (ISARPS).
The information from the internal assessments using the ISARPs will be recorded in a Conformance Report and assessed by the Audit Organizations, adding additional depth, accuracy and value to the overall result of the IOSA audit.
Airlines Crash
IOSA-certified airlines do not mean they will not crash, but it gives them the confidence to passengers that IOSA-certified airline follows a standard to ensure safety.
Results reveal that IOSA-certified airlines had a crash rate three times less than those airlines without IOSA certification.
Why Airlines Avoiding IOSA
Small regional airlines generally apply for IOSA audit purely because of the following reasons :
- It is not mandatory
- Avoiding the cost
- Difficult change
- Worry of fail
- CAA does not enforce IOSA audit compliance
- No stability of airline operation
- No competition
The IATA Standard Safety Assessment (ISSA)
This is because some aircraft operators are technically not eligible for an IOSA Audit
Operating aircraft below 5,700Kg MTO
The business model does not allow for conformity with IOSA Requirements
Because of the vast amount of those operators, IATA developed a new evaluation program for the industry called IATA Standard Safety Assessment. The IATA Standard Safety Assessment (ISSA) is a voluntary evaluation program, based on IOSA.
Airlines have their Quality Assurance Program to perform an annual internal audit of the management system, as well as operations and maintenance functions to ensure that airline safety plan objectives are achieved and safety standards are properly applied throughout the airline's systems.
Summary
The airline's QA program must be managed by a designated program manager, address findings that result from internal audits, and ensure significant program issues are subject to management review, and disseminate program information to management and non-management operational personnel. Quality Assurance Program must be documented and controlled. Also, a database must be used to ensure the effective management of data derived from the internal audits.
Based on Airlines Quality Assurance Program [internal audit results], IATA Operational Safety Audit (IOSA) Program will use internal audit results as inputs to improve airline operational safety in line with ICAO safety and security provisions and industry best practices from ICAO Annexes 1, 2, 6, 8, 17, 18 and 19 plus EASA regulations, FAA regulations, and regulatory oversight. IOSA standards are updated regularly.
If any airline wishes to have more information about IATA IOSA Audit, they can visit IATA websiter.
This article is not a promotion article for IATA, it is the facts that I believe in [as an Internal Safety Auditor].