IATA Expands Agreement with CIS to Improve Aviation Safety – Broad Agenda to Engage Russian Aviation

Moscow – 16 April 2009–The International Air Transport Association (IATA) today announced the signing of an agreement with the Interstate Aviation Committee (IAC, also known by its Russian abbreviation which is MAK) to improve aviation safety throughout the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS).

The expanded agreement adds specific points to IATA’s existing cooperation partnership with the IAC including:

Promoting IATA Operational Safety Audits (IOSA), IATA’s Integrated-Airline Management System (IAMS), IATA Safety Audits for Ground Operations (ISAGO) and other similar initiatives and their realisation in the deployment of professional resources of IAC.
Development and enhancement of civil aviation infrastructure in the states united by IAC, including implementation of the ICAO standard for Reduced Vertical Separation Minima (RVSM) and Performance-Based Navigation.

The agreement was signed in Moscow by Tatiana Anodina, Chairperson of the IAC and Giovanni Bisignani, IATA’s Director General and CEO. “Safety is our top priority, and the performance of the CIS is far below the global average. All IATA airlines – including 15 in the CIS are on the IOSA Registry. I look forward to working closely with the IAC to help raise the bar on safety in this region by promoting IOSA and other IATA global standards,” said Bisignani.

Bisignani is visiting Russia to mark a new phase in IATA’s involvement in Russian aviation. “In addition to IOSA, two other IATA programmes have helped transform the landscape of Russian aviation – 100% e-ticketing and the opening of IATA’s Billing and Settlement Plan. This is a solid foundation of success. At this time of crisis – for the global industry as well as the Russian airlines – we have a long list of tough issues to tackle,” said Bisignani.

During Bisignani’s visit, he met with Russia’s Minister of Transport, Igor Levitin, to discuss a workplan with the Russian Ministry of Transport focused on the following areas:

Improving safety: Alongside working with IAC, IATA is encouraging the Russian government to make IOSA a requirement for all airlines registered in Russia.
Bringing infrastructure charges in line with global standards: Russia has an international obligation to ensure non-discrimination for infrastructure charges. “The current discriminatory system of charges does not comply with international standards and must change,” said Bisignani.
Bringing transparency to fuel pricing: In September 2008 the cost of fuel at Moscow’s airports was 12% higher than in Western Europe. Following IATA’s call for greater transparency, the gap has narrowed. “Now we must formalise the requirement for transparency and work to find a system to ensure that fuel uplifted for international flights meets Russia’s international obligation to be free of VAT,” said Bisignani.
Promoting IATA e-freight: “After achieving 100% e-ticketing, the next big challenge is to implement e-freight. To make this a reality, Russia must sign the Montreal Convention 99 recognising electronic air way bills. Russia is too important to be left out of the US$4.9 billion in benefits that e-freight will bring,” said Bisignani.

Finding Global Solutions for the Environment: Russia has made tremendous progress on making air traffic more efficient. In 2008, a total of 131 routes were optimized. Work on a further 42 routes will take effect by the end of May. “This has a positive impact on environmental performance. Now Russia – as a member of the ICAO Group on International Aviation and Climate Change – has an important responsibility in finding a global solution for economic measures under ICAO auspices,” said Bisignani.
Moving forward with liberalisation: “With Russia’s carriers active in seeking international partnerships, the archaic ownership limitations of the bilateral system are clearly visible. This crisis is an opportunity for change and I hope that Russia will play a leading role in allowing airlines to run their businesses with the same freedoms that other industries take for granted,” said Bisignani.
Bisignani looked beyond the current crisis to the future of Russian aviation. “Russia’s vast geography makes aviation a critical link domestically and internationally. Russia’s location puts it at the crossroads of North America, Asia, Europe and The Middle East. Russia’s seat on the ICAO Council makes it an important player in international aviation policy. IATA’s goal is to work with the Russian government to ensure that this great aviation nation is fully integrated into the global aviation system. That means following its obligations under international law and using global standards. The result will be a safe and efficient air transport industry delivering enormous economic benefits,” said Bisignani.

Access Giovanni Bisignani’s remarks

Notes for editors:

IATA (International Air Transport Association) represents some 230 airlines comprising 93% of scheduled international air traffic.
A total of 18 airlines in the CIS are on the IOSA registry. Of these, 15 are IATA members and a further 3 are not members of IATA.
The original agreement with IAC and IATA was signed in 1994 and broadly covers joint efforts to promote safe, secure and reliable air transport.

For more information, please contact:

Anthony Concil
Director Corporate Communications
Tel: +41 22 770 2967
Email: corpcomms@iata.org

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    The Ironic Tragedy of Germanwings Flight 9525

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    Pasadena, CA — (ReleaseWire) — 04/02/2015 — As an advocate (not a lawyer) of fair compensation for the victims of plane crashes, I have been closely following the story behind the crash of Germanwings Flight 9525 and the now notorious 27-year-old co-pilot, Andreas Lubitz. As is always the case, a team of expert investigators will dig out the facts to determine the most likely scenario behind the crash. That careful investigation will take a year at the very least. In this Germanwings accident, the one factor that stands out already is the role played by the pilot’s state of mind in what appears now to be his deliberate collision course with the French Alps. It is now common knowledge that the plane disintegrated on impact with the Massif des Trois-Évêchés. Imagine how horrified the families were when the transcript of the CVR (Cockpit Voice Recorder) was quickly leaked by tabloids. Journalists have been shouldering each other out of the way to get to the front of the line, “scooping” each with another “leaked” nugget. A girlfriend’s interview. A medical report here. A video there. TV commentators and newspapers from CNN and the venerable New York Times to the most scurrilous tabloids are spouting “the facts” faster than investigators can have gotten to the information. Tweeting the news as I do results in loads of source-checking, and plenty of on-going head-scratching moments while weeding out wild supposition masquerading as news in sources one would normally consider impeccable. When one source says “the plane is blue,” another says “the plane is red.” Sometimes I can determine which is the truth, but sometimes I have to leave it to readers to puzzle out.

    I have been working Wrongful Death cases for some forty-seven years now. I am a consultant to attorneys across the globe who represent the families of Wrongful Death victims. Each investigation is exactly the same in terms of the emotional impact of the accident. Devastating. Whether the case may or may not end up in court, whether or not the accident catches the media’s attention, every aspect is always impossibly difficult for the families. Some accidents seem similar because they share a factor, whether it be similar weather conditions, mechanical difficulties, or a particular flaw in a particular model of plane.

    Some aviation accidents personify extremes. Consider that while there is always some degree of speculation as to an accident’s cause, MH370 brought as many conspiracy theorists out of the woodwork in this past twelve months as Amelia Earhart’s disappearance has in the past 87 years. Everything seems plausible when people are desperate for an explanation. Because in this age of cell phones and satellites, there is simply no explanation for a plane to vanish, MH370 has become the “poster child” for speculation. I expect MH370 will continue to spawn new theories and will endure as a mystery until, at some point, the wreckage will be found and examined.

    If I were comparing MH370 and Germanwings 9525, I could write a whole piece examining the conflict of government transparency vs. individual confidentiality, but that was not my intent today. I was just thinking of aviation safety, and how 9/11 became the catalyst for upgraded multifaceted flight deck security. One outcome of 9/11 is the impregnable, indestructible cockpit door, the brain child of countless engineering hours, security and scientific research. Passengers since 9/11 have flown safe in the knowledge that no intruder could again gain entry to the cockpit and overpower the pilot thanks to redundant enhanced security precautions and a door designed to keep the dangerous people out. Now there’s a cockpit voice recording that appears to show that same safe cockpit door is the barrier that kept the PIC from being able to save everyone aboard. Captain Patrick Sondenheimer died trying to get that door open.

    The impregnable cockpit door, the terrible irony of Germanwings Flight 9525.

    About Air Crash Consultants

    A division of Wrongful Death Consultants, Air Crash Consultants was established to network between lawyers and their clients, bridging the gaps, especially in regard to International clients, freeing and enabling the lawyer to concentrate on higher priority commitments. Air Crash Consultant services might also be designated as an umbrella, because the company’s functions encompass a variety of problem-solving areas in support of the lawyer-client relationship as needed. Services are not limited to finding experts, developing translation teams, client support, document handling, drafting demand letters, client interviews, etc. Visit the company websites at”
    http://aircrashconsultants.com
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  • ICAO says Japan OK

    The Regional Meteorological Centers in Asia (Beijing, Tokyo and Obninsk) monitoring the situation published this press release WMO monitoring meteorological conditions in quake-hit area on March 15.

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    Raising the Bar on Pilot Training

    Whether one looks at what happened in US cockpits on the Colgan Air flight (49 aboard killed, 1 on the ground, 4 injuries on the ground), or at Air France Flight 447 (228 killed), or if one looks at foreign crashes such as in Mangalore (166 aboard, 8 survivors), it appears that pilots need better tools to indicate when they are in trouble; and better training on how to respond in emergency situations such as when components fail, or flight is becoming unstable for whatever reason. It does little good to be warned that something is wrong if the warning comes at a point when it is too late to do anything about it.

    One wonders if the Thales pitot tubes are equipped to warn when there is a heating failure; or if there is a backup heating system for the tubes; if that backup system were equipped to give a warning. One wonders if there might not be an additional set of pitot tubes installed, one that might be stored internally, but that the pilot might be able to engage automatically if the tubes fail; or barring that, one wonders if there should not be some other mechanical (as opposed to digital or mathematic) “speedometer device” alternative on board for emergency situations… in case pitot tubes again happen to fail in the dark of night over an unlit ocean hurtling for the duration of a four minute stall to an inevitable watery grave.

    I do not advocate reverting everything to fly-by-wire. The best way I can express this is with a simile: Forcing pilots to use fly by wire is like forcing a healthy person to always ride in an electric wheelchair because there is a possibility they might trip.

    If you do this, the person stuck in the wheelchair becomes less able to walk. Their leg muscles will atrophy and their walking skills will deteriorate. They become a passive passenger rather than an active participant. Thus ultimately, relying on a mechanical device to perform what the human being should be doing actually cripples their abilities rather than enhances them. Fly by wire should only be a tool an otherwise competent pilot can use on occasion, not part of the status quo.

    It seems ironic that the automatic pilot quit at the point that it was most needed. But face it–the automatic system was as confused and disoriented as the pilots were at the incoming faulty data.

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    Brazil Regulator Proposes Restrictions

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    SAO PAULO, Brazil-Brazil’s civil aviation regulator proposed restricting flights at the nation’s busiest airport on Thursday, hoping to improve safety at the site of the nation’s deadliest plane crash.

    The rules proposed by the Civil Aviation Authority would restrict destinations to a 1,000-kilometer (620-mile) radius of the Congonhas airport and would bar connecting flights from the airport.

    The Defense Ministry will now assess the report, and Defense Minister Nelson Jobim announced separately that authorities will decide within one month the precise location for construction of a third runway at Sao Paulo’s Guarulhos airport.
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    This Months Bad News: Trans States Holdings Inc

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    After two incidents in the last four months, there’s now a $2.5 million civil penalty in the offing for Trans States Holdings Inc. from the FAA. But more crucial than the last two incidents, the problem really comes down to hundreds of safety violations on 320 flights over the past two years, all related to maintenance, after repeated warnings and reoccurring violations.

    What is it I always say?

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    Trans States Airlines and GoJet Airlines are both owned and operated by Trans States Holdings. Trans States Airlines performs maintenance and training on GoJet aircraft.

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