Improve air safety with data and dialogue

November 3rd 2023

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Achieving a 100% safety record for commercial aviation may seem a pipedream. Read More » Whatever measures are put in place to make flying safer, the ever present possibilities of human error in the cockpit, in the maintenance hangar or elsewhere across the supply and service chains of the industry remain.

But the oft repeated mantra that safety is aviation’s number one priority has never changed. The industry’s 2022 fatality risk rate reveals that on average, an individual would have to fly every day for 25,214 years to die from an aircraft accident. The figures are testimony to what the industry has achieved.

So it was not surprising that when more than 550 aviation safety professionals from around the world gathered in Hanoi in September for IATA’s inaugural World Safety and Operations Conference (WSOC), delegates displayed a steely determination to improve air safety, that is to make the world’s safest form of transport even safer.

It can be achieved with a refocus on safety leadership, IATA said, fostering a culture of safety from top to bottom. Every person in aviation must be safety aware, but also feel free to voice their concerns, no matter how lowly their positions in the aviation chain, about possible threats to flight safety.

As IATA director general, Willie Walsh, put it: “Ensuring we have the right culture where people can be open about safety issues, feel free to discuss them, share their concerns and share their experiences, is very important in progressing to high levels of safety in the industry.”

Perhaps the most promising contribution to safe flying are emerging technologies such as Artificial Intelligence (AI).

Airlines are improving their data collection and analyses, enabling better decision-making and organizational structures as well as increasing automation as these new technologies are integrated into their operations.

These transformative technological capabilities have enormous safety implications. For example, automation combined with AI can provide pilots with better situational awareness and focus on necessary actions. In maintenance, it can predict when components on an aircraft need to be replaced.

It also can help identify risks and advise on necessary action.

Most importantly, these technological advances can take aviation closer to a 100% safety record.

TOM BALLANTYNE
Associate editor and chief correspondent
Orient Aviation Media Group