Air India clears IATA's enhanced operational safety audit

Government-run Air India today said it has cleared an enhanced operational safety audit, carried out by global airlines body International Air Transport Association (IATA), with an extended validation of up to two years.
The carrier, in a statement, claimed that it has become the first domestic airline to have cleared the E-IOSA (E-IATA Operational Safety Audit) programme with an extended validation till January 2018.
The IATA Board of Governors had, in June 2013, mandated the enhanced IOSA process for all registration renewal audits, taking place in or after September 2015.
Air India has been giving an increased emphasis to the safety of its operations and taken a raft of measures to enhance it, the airline said, adding, E-IOSA is the result of such measures only.

The carrier had last year become the first airline to get the IOSA certification.
According to the statement, Air India has established a cohesive and integrated corporate safety and quality management system, besides the flight safety department, to constantly monitor, review and address safety issues.

Through an Open Reporting System, employees are encouraged to report any safety concern proactively, Air India said, adding that such a practice helps in capturing latent conditions and carrying out safety risk assessments, followed by recommended preventive and corrective action.
The importance to safety can be seen from the increased safety spot checks being done to capture the frontline issues, the statement said.

Air India was also the first and only airline in the country to obtain ISAGO (IATA Safety Audit of Ground Operations). Besides, its engineering and ground-handling subsidiaries -- AIATSL and AI SATS -- have also obtained the ISAG station certifications, the statement added.