Safety Issue Hub to improve aviation safety transparency

October 1st 2023

Print Friendly

The International Air Transport Association (IATA) has revamped its self-service digital platform, the Safety Issue Hub, a resource for airline members to access information about global aviation safety issues, risk assessments and mitigation guidance material. Read More »

The update will address the effectiveness of the hub as an internationally recognized repository of aviation hazards, the global airline association said.

Mark Vincent, IATA Head of Safety Risk and Quality Assurance, Mark Vincent, said the Hub has long provided value as a risk register. “A world map highlights particular safety challenges according to location. For each challenge, there is a description of the risk and the links to guidance material and other information that will help manage that risk,” he said.

The safety challenges are not related to specific airlines. All such details are anonymous. The information comes from various audits and programs, including the data sets controlled and analyzed by IATA.

Benefits of the IATA Safety Issue Hub include:

• Access to a comprehensive knowledge repository that promotes well-informed decisions regarding safety. The ability to prioritize safety improvement programs according to operational scope, including targeted mitigation strategies.

• Collaboration among IATA members, industry organizations, and regulators.

Following the upgrades, users are able to filter by key risk areas, such as controlled flight into terrain, to help research safety programs. Filtering by domain — airworthiness or maintenance, for example — is also possible.

“The purpose is to support airlines in maturing and supplementing their safety management systems and to provide an overview of global risk,” Vincent said. “The IATA Safety Issue Hub will become a one-stop-shop for industry safety information and initiatives.”

More input into the hub will determine its level of success. Vincent said. “We can take the information we have and provide the big picture. But we need all industry partners, including airports and air navigation service providers, to help complete the picture,” he said.

“An issue at an airport might be more easily identified and we could then influence the necessary changes. We receive some input, but there is an opportunity to do so much more. We can dig deep into particular issues and identify notable trends in the ICAO Standards and Recommended Practices.”

To support the call for greater input into the Safety Issue Hub, the web-based platform will remain publicly accessible and free of charge for the foreseeable future. Potential improvements to safety should never be placed out of reach financially or otherwise, especially for those airlines still maturing their safety management systems, Vincent said. Everything on the platform is completely transparent to encourage the sharing of safety data.

The longer term aim is to transform the hub into a safety community where real-time conversations can take place and all airlines can take advantage of the expertise on offer.

“Risk is often identified and managed in silos. The upgrades to the hub will change this and allow the industry to collectively design safety improvement programs to mitigate operational risks,” predicts Vincent.