Air India fails IATA audit test

Failure does not mean airline is unsafe for flying

BY A CORRESPONDENT
February 28, 2006

After failing an audit test for not meeting requirement in training for its new fleet, Air India will be under some embarrassment with the International Air Transport Association (IATA) withdrawing Air India's International Operations Safety Audit (IOSA) certificate.

Air-India, which became a member of the IATA Operational Safety Audit programme in 2004, will be given time to rectify deficiencies. However, officials were quick to point out the audit is "optional and not mandatory" and seemed confident of obtaining the certificate by early March. AI officials also pointed out that "Air India was among the first ten airlines in the world to acquire this certification."

Additionally, the failure to obtain the certificate does not imply that the airline is unsafe for flying. Although normal operations are unlikely to be affected, alliances with international carriers like Lufthansa may be affected.

The International Operational Safety Audit, rates an airline's safety on various parameters - among them engineering, flight safety and maintenance. The audit is conducted with other independent bodies like the FAA and the ICAO. IATA members will need to have successfully undergone the IOSA audit by 2007 in order to achieve or maintain IATA membership.