The team at Flight Safety Foundation (FSF) is busy gearing up for our largest event of the year. Now in its 65th year, the International Air Safety Seminar (IASS), will be held in Santiago, Chile, on Oct. 23–25, and will be hosted by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation of Chile. You can find further details and a draft agenda on our website at flightsafety.org/IASS.
The IASS was last held in South America in 1999, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, and quite a lot has changed in those 13 years. The region is now one of the largest and fastest growing in aviation. Growth demands attention to services and infrastructure — and most importantly, to safety management.
In an effort to expand our reach in the region, the Foundation is proud to partner with the Latin American and Caribbean Air Transport Association (ALTA). ALTA is a private, non-profit organization, whose member airlines represent more than 90 percent of the region’s commercial air traffic. ALTA coordinates the collaborative efforts of its members to facilitate the development of safer, more efficient and more environmentally friendly air transport in the Latin American and Caribbean region for the benefit of the association’s members, their customers and the industry.
Alex de Gunten, executive director of ALTA, said, “The ongoing partnership between ALTA and FSF underscores the ultimate goal of harmonization and standardization throughout the region to improve safety and efficiency.”
Earlier this summer, the Foundation participated as a strategic partner in ALTA’s 3rd Pan American Aviation Safety Summit in Bogotá, Colombia. The event was attended by more than 200 delegates from airlines, civil aviation authorities, aviation educational organizations, air transport associations and various other international aviation-related organizations.
Building on this success, the IASS will provide another forum for the aviation industry to meet in a collaborative environment to identify safety concerns, devise approaches to reduce risk and implement initiatives to improve safety. The seminar will cover safety, training, practical solutions, management, human factors and other issues for scheduled airlines, manufacturers and equipment suppliers, trainers, flight crews, maintenance personnel and industry executives. Delegates will hear remarks from dignitaries, civil aviation authorities and the CEOs of key airlines in the Latin American and Caribbean Region.
Also new this year, the Regional Aviation Safety Group–Pan America (RASG-PA) will be co-locating its event with the IASS. RASG-PA was established in November 2008 to be the focal point for harmonization and coordination of safety efforts aimed at reducing aviation risks in the North American, Central American, Caribbean and South American Regions and to promote the resulting safety initiatives by all stakeholders.
At last year’s IASS in Singapore, we had more than 340 attendees representing 51 countries. We look forward to increasing those numbers this year. See you in Santiago!