FSF, AviAssist to Cooperate on Promoting Aviation Safety in Africa

MONTREAL — Flight Safety Foundation and the AviAssist Foundation on Wednesday renewed their long-standing relationship with the signing of a Memorandum of Cooperation (MOC) that will see the two organizations work more closely to promote aviation safety in Africa. The MOC was signed on the sidelines of the ICAO 40th Assembly, which got under way here this week.

Under terms of the MOC, the organizations agreed to support each other’s activities broadly, and to work together to improve aviation safety in Africa through a variety of means, including sharing data and information, organizing safety-focused events and executing joint studies and projects.

“We greatly value our partnership with Flight Safety Foundation to build on the successes in African safety and elevate it to the next level,” said Ron Louwerse, chairman of the AviAssist board and managing director of Rotterdam The Hague Airport for the Schiphol Group.

“The Foundation is looking forward to close cooperation with AviAssist. We are both independent and impartial nonprofits focused exclusively on aviation safety, so working together on a common goal makes a lot of sense,” said Foundation President and CEO Dr. Hassan Shahidi. “Aviation safety in Africa is making significant strides and we think we can contribute to that success story.”

Pictured above (from left to right) are Ron Louwerse, chairman of the board of the AviAssist Foundation, Cora van Nieuwenhuizen, minister of Infrastructure & Water Management, the Netherlands, Margareth Kyarwenda, secretary general of the Association of African Aviation Training Organizations (AATO), Dr. Hassan Shahid, president and CEO of FSF, and Capt. Abdulsalami Mohamed, AATO Council member.

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About AviAssist
The AviAssist Foundation is the only independent, nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting professionalism in African aviation safety. Its mission is to provide effective and affordable safety support to the African aviation industry. AviAssist provides safety guidance and resources through training courses, social media and Africa’s only dedicated safety promotion magazine — SafetyFocus, which draws some of its content from FSF’s AeroSafety World journal. In addition, AviAssist’s Safety in African Aviation conference provides a neutral ground for competitors and regulators to meet and address safety issues.

About Flight Safety Foundation
Flight Safety Foundation is an independent, nonprofit, international organization engaged in research, education, advocacy and communications to improve aviation safety. The Foundation’s mission is to connect, influence and lead global aviation safety.

Media Contact:
Frank Jackman
Vice President, Communications
+1 703.739.6700, ext. 116
jackman@flightsafety.org