Aviation Quality Services is the world's only endorsed training organization for training IOSA auditors

April 28, 2003

The International Air Transport Association (IATA) has selected Aviation Quality Services GmbH to be the world's first, and thus far only, endorsed training organization for training IOSA auditors. IOSA stands for "IATA Operational Safety Audit", a standardized worldwide system for evaluating an airline's safety. "The IOSA model has an exciting future," declared Guenther Matschnigg, Senior Vice-President of IATA, at the signing of the contract on 25 April in Frankfurt am Main. "I'm convinced that with this program we can greatly reduce airline audit costs." Now it will be the task of Aviation Quality Services, working with IATA, to train and qualify the auditors who in future will evaluate airlines' conformance with the IOSA standard. A wholly owned subsidiary of Lufthansa Flight Training, the company specializes in certifying aviation personnel and management systems, and in training auditors.

In a world of proliferating alliances, the auditing of potential codesharing partners has become a recognized tool for ensuring that safety standards are being adhered to. "In the past, every airline did its own audit of a future alliance partner," explains Capt. Karl Heinz Burger, Managing Director of Aviation Quality Services. "In the future, this job will be done by IATA-accredited audit organizations (AOs). Once the auditors verify that an airline is in conformity with the IOSA standard, its name will be entered into a central IATA Registry in Montreal."

If an airline is interested in establishing a codesharing relationship with another carrier, with the consent of the latter it can view the IATA audit report on that carrier. Guenther Matschnigg is convinced that "the present situation in which airlines audit one another – sometimes repeatedly – will soon be a thing of the past."

In the U.S., the law already requires proof that an airline¿s codesharing partner has successfully passed such an audit. All indications are that the IOSA standard will ultimately be recognized also by the U.S. government defense and transportation departments. Moreover, it is IATA's goal to have all 275 airlines that belong to the association undergo an IOSA audit within the next two to three years. In the future, new airlines will not be admitted to IATA membership until they have proven that they conform to the IOSA standard.

At present, Aviation Quality Services is the world's only training provider authorized to train IOSA auditors. By 1 July 2003 when IATA will launch the IOSA program, the Frankfurt company intends to have become an IATA-accredited audit organization itself. Then any interested airline can have itself audited by Aviation Quality Services for verification of its compliance with IOSA standards.

Anyone desiring to become an IOSA auditor must meet IATA's published professional and personal criteria. One of those criteria is years of professional experience in, for example, flight-operations management or as an aviation auditor, instructor or examiner.

Aviation Quality Services will be offering sound basic training for quality auditors. As Capt. Burger puts it, "Much is demanded of aviation auditors in the way of personal and professional competence. In collaboration with IATA, we're developing a two-stage curriculum that will consist of auditor basic training and an IOSA specialization seminar. Turning out qualified auditors will be the key to the acceptance and success of our new IOSA program."

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