Date: 11 Jun 2013

Oman Air hosts the Gulf Flight Safety Committee on 10 June, sponsored by Oman Air, NEXUS Flight Operations Services and MedAire/International SOS. The Gulf Flight Safety Committee (GFSC) was originally founded in Oman in 2004 by a group of Gulf based Safety Professionals from various aviation companies located within the GCC region.

This group is made up of over 250 members representing 80+ organizations within the region. The group meets quarterly to promote safety improvement initiatives, including coordination with international organizations and bodies such as ICAO and IATA.

New elections during the GFSC Annual General Meeting held here in Muscat resulted in the following Executive Board; Chairman, Capt. Mohammed A. Malatani, Co-Chairman, Capt. William Mermelstein and Secretary/Treasurer Capt. Mark Trotter. “We are very pleased to have the support of Oman Air and the city of Muscat to host our Annual General meeting, and participation by the Royal Air Force of Oman and the Police Air Wing” says newly elected Chairman Capt. Malatani. As a result of this annual meeting the membership agreed to a slight name change as the Gulf Flight Safety Council to better reflect the mission and goals.

Capt. Malatani also extended his thanks to Janab Al Sayyid Capt. Manin Al-Said, General Manager Quality & Safety of Oman Air for their hospitality in hosting the GFSC in Muscat, Oman.

The meeting comes one day before another important regional safety event. The International Civil Aviation Organization and International Air Transportation Association (CAO/IATA) events come as an initiative under the Regional Aviation Safety Group (RASG-MID) to enhance safety in the Middle East. The purpose of Safety Management Workshop is to; share best practices and lessons learned for Safety Management Systems (SMS) and State Safety Programs (SSP); provide break-out sessions for sharing of safety data and SMS/SSP implementation; and promote safety data tools and enhance safety culture.

“The Gulf Flight Safety Council is pleased to partner with ICAO & IATA in our mutual goals of promoting safety in the region” added Capt. Mohammed Malatani, General Manger Safety of Saudi Arabian Airlines (SAUDIA) and the new chairman of the GFSC.