The image of Oman Air, the national carrier of the Sultanate of Oman, has received a further boost with the successful recent completion of renewing its IATA Operational Safety Audit (IOSA) Registration. Oman Air has successfully passed the IATA Operational Safety Audit (IOSA) and renewed its registration as IOSA Operator. The renewal is an outcome of the IOSA audit the Airline underwent on September 2006, whereby the Carrier remains among the airlines, which reached this internationally recognized standard, after a thorough evaluation in all areas of Operations, Safety, and Security. Oman Air achieved the distinction of being the 24th airline worldwide, and the 3rd in the Arab world to be registered with IOSA (www.iata.org/registry).This itself is a matter of pride for Oman Air's management and staff, and is particularly creditable considering the fact that IATA represents some 250 airlines comprising 94% of the international scheduled air traffic.
Mr Michael J O’Brien Director, Programme Implantation / Auditing said that safety is IATA’s top priority, acknowledging Oman Air’s commitment to safety through IOSA registry, which makes a clear positive statement about the integrity of Oman Aviation Services’ operations and ability to manage associated risks.
Eng, Talal bin Yahya al Riyamy Head of Quality and Safety Department - Oman Air said, “Safety is Oman Air’s number one priority, and IATA is a quality association that has set the bar high to ensure that our membership represents best practice in safety. IATA accredited Audit Organizations perform the audits with specially trained auditors and according to internationally recognized procedures. The audit was carried out over a one-week period by an internationally recognised, quality-based, audit principled team of six auditors from Wake QA - an IATA-accredited IOSA audit organisation in the UK. The procedures comprise a checklist with 739 standards, split in eight sections, covering the areas of Corporate Organization & Management, Flight Operations, Operational Control & Flight Dispatch, Aircraft Engineering & Maintenance, Cabin Operations, Aircraft Ground Handling, Cargo Operations, and Operational Security. The objective of the IOSA audit (IATA Operational Safety Audit) is to reach an internationally recognized and comparable standard in operation and safety management. The mutual recognition of IOSA audits prevents that for a codeshare partnership each airline has to audit their partner.”
He added saying that IATA developed IOSA audits and determine the standards for safety and quality. The programme aims to se and promote air safety practices and is recognised by the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO), the Federal Aviation Authority (FAA), JAA, and other aviation authorities around the world. All new members of the association will be required to pass IOSA before they join. Moreover, all existing members must contract for an IOSA audit by the end of 2006 and complete an audit by the end of 2007 to retain membership. This award is a testament to the commitment of every Oman Air employee toward upholding and maintaining excellent safety and quality standards. This significant milestone was a result of Oman Air’s strong and continuous commitment to the highest levels of international safety and quality standards set by IATA in all fields of aviation.
Corporate Communications and Media Department in Oman Air clarified that IOSA was launched in 2003 as the industry's first global standard for airline safety management. Inherent in the IOSA Programme is a degree of quality, integrity and security such that mutually interested airlines and regulators can all comfortably accept IOSA audit reports. The standards incorporate many requirements from ICAO, FAA, and JAA, as well as best practices from airline audit programmes in existence already. By 2007, all IATA Members will need to have successfully undergone the IOSA audit in order to achieve or maintain IATA Membership. IOSA registration lasts for two years, at which time a recurrent audit is required to ensure ongoing compliance with IATA standards.
