FSF says that your SAFETY BLANKET may be FRAYED- need mending?

Flight Safety Foundation’s President and CEO, see below, asserts that  “Aviation’s safety net is fraying at the edges.” One of the conclusions of his organization highly respected annual Safety Report is that ALL in aviation– regulators, air navigation service providers, airports, air operators, and manufacturers– should reassess their existing SMS and regulatory compliance health. To mend the fraying safety culture, Dr. Shahidi urges all participants in aviation to “double down on compliance, discipline, and proactive risk management.”

Whether such introspection involves Safety Assurance System (SAS) Reviews and/or Safety Culture Assessment and/or Safety Risk Management (SRM),THE INQUIRY MUST QUESTION WHETHER THE ORGANIZATION’S CURRENT PERFORMANCE HAS BEEN ADEQUATE. The focus must be to examine for flaws. Involving the existing team that has been responsible for SMS implementation and enhancement may not have the right attitude.

The integrity of an internal audit can vary based on the airline’s commitment to transparency and the rigor of its auditing processes. A less subjective “gap analysis” might require an external audit by professionals who do not have some pride of ownership in what has been done:

JDA provides a full suite of SMS services per FAA Part 5 or ICAO requirements for every aviation entity including implementation, training, safety reporting software applications and SMS Manual. Our seasoned professionals provide a business management approach to controlling risk providing a means to support a strong and just safety culture.

For Safety Assurance System (SAS), our work with your team helps to define criteria or safety attributes that your certificate obligations must be addressed in your manual system..

Safety Culture Assessment is a highly subjective process. Identifying concerns that staff may have been reluctant to report can be difficult, but talking to an outside consultant facilitates such disclosures. The JDA team has the experience needed to separate the wheat from the chaff and provide the company with a well-seasoned judgment of the company’s culture

Safety Risk Management (SRM). JDA has supported airports, new air carrier applicants, manufacturers, unmanned aircraft system operators, and government organizations with SRM and risk assessments. JDA helps it clients:

• Examine why something works.
• Anticipate what happens when it doesn’t
• Identify what they don’t want to occur.
• Foster communication between departments.
• Define formal, standardized, and documented tools and processes that manage safety risk
• Define, document, and describe all existing procedures and proposed changes.
• Collect, analyze, and categorize data on safety issues, concerns, incidents, and accidents.
• Conduct analysis using hazard-based risk assessment tools to identify and assess the risks of the hazards.
• Determine acceptability of the risk, for each hazard identified, using risk matrix.
• Select appropriate controls to mitigate the risk of identified hazards.

If left unattended a frayed safety blanket can lead to consequences; JDA may be able to help find and repair any strained fabric.

Flight Safety Foundation Annual Report Warns of Rising Risks from Gaps in Safety Compliance

ALEXANDRIA, Va., Feb. 27, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — Flight Safety Foundation’s 2024 Safety Report underscores growing concerns about the erosion of aviation safety due to lapses in compliance with international standards, regulations, and standard operating procedures (SOPs). Despite more than 5 billion passengers traveling safely by air in 2024, a series of accidents and serious incidents late last year and in early 2025 have revealed critical vulnerabilities. The report stresses that while these events remain rare, their frequency and severity in such a short period cannot be ignored.

“We cannot allow complacency to creep into operations. Safety standards have evolved for a reason, and adherence to them isn’t optional — it’s essential,” said Foundation President and CEO Dr. Hassan Shahidi. “Compliance alone does not guarantee safety, but without it, safety cannot be achieved.”

In the report, the Foundation calls for an INDUSTRYWIDE RECOMMITMENT TO SAFETY FUNDAMENTALS, urging regulators, air navigation service providers, airports, air operators, and manufacturers to reinforce compliance as the first step toward rebuilding a resilient safety culture. From runway excursions and turbulence-related events to high-profile near misses and operations in conflict zones, the aviation sector must remain vigilant.

 “Aviation’s safety net is fraying at the edges. It’s time for the entire industry to double down on compliance, discipline, and proactive risk management to restore public confidence and protect lives,” Shahidi said….

Media Contact:
Frank Jackman
Director, Communications and Research
+1 703.739.6700, ext. 116
jackman@flightsafety.org

SOURCE Flight Safety Foundation