Somalia to Recognise IATA Safety Audits Under New Aviation Agreement

Somalia’s civil aviation regulator will recognise two international aviation safety audit programmes under an agreement with the International Air Transport Association (IATA), as the country seeks to align its oversight framework with industry standards.

The memorandum of understanding, signed in Mogadishu on October 18, allows the Somali Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) to accept the IATA Operational Safety Audit (IOSA) and the IATA Safety Audit for Ground Operations (ISAGO) as means of compliance with national regulations.

The agreement is intended to complement the regulator’s existing safety oversight responsibilities and strengthen cooperation with the airline industry’s trade association on aviation safety.

The MoU was signed by Mohamed Farah Nuh, Somalia’s minister of transport and civil aviation; Ahmed Moallim Hassan, director-general of the Somali CAA; and Kamil Alawadhi, IATA’s regional vice-president for Africa and the Middle East.

Alawadhi said the partnership would support the continued improvement of safety standards, encourage the adoption of industry practices and strengthen safety culture across Somalia’s aviation sector.

The agreement falls under IATA’s Focus Africa initiative, which seeks to address challenges facing the continent’s aviation industry. IATA said the arrangement also represents a step towards greater consistency in the application of internationally recognised safety audit standards across Africa.

IOSA assesses airlines’ operational management and control systems, while ISAGO focuses on the safety and quality of ground-handling operations.

The agreement does not replace the Somali CAA’s regulatory oversight but establishes the two audit programmes as acceptable means of demonstrating compliance with national requirements.

Source: FSX Business News