IATA: Aviation Is Safest Mode Of Transport.

Date: 16 December 2012

IATA: Aviation Is Safest Mode Of Transport.

GENEVA (Bernama) - The aviation industry has had an incredible safety performance and if the trends continue, this will be the third year in a row with record global performance, says the International Air Transport Association (IATA).

Its Senior Vice President (Safety, Operations & Infrastructure) Gunther Matschnigg said that as at end November, there was one accident per 5.3 million flights and even more impressive was that IATA members had no hull loss accidents on Western-built jets.

"With the excellent track record that we have achieved, we maintain the right to continue calling aviation the safest mode of transportation. However, every fatal accident is a tragedy and we work towards continuously enhancing safety," he told a group of journalists attending the IATA Global Media Day 2012 held last week.

On the Checkpoint of the Future (CoF) discussed last year, its Director General and Chief Executive Officer Tony Tyler meanwhile said that IATA has approved blueprints to develop the checkpoint capabilities in three phases. He explained that component tests were completed in Amsterdam, Heathrow and Geneva airports over the last few years and these focused on identity and document verification.

"In 2014, we hope to have the first version being tested operationally in airports. There will be another interim stage in 2017 and by 2020, we expect to have the full concept operational," he said.

On taxes, Tyler said IATA's Board also noted the need to protect the aviation industry from being compromised by excessive taxation and this was a key point coming out of aviation studies.

Meanwhile, Mike Muller, IATA's Head, Interline & Intermodal Policy, said global airlines are expected to carry some three billion passengers next year and that number would double by the year 2030. He said that connectivity is a very critical component of modern economies and serving that growing demand would require innovation. "To this end, we need to understand what consumers expect and what they value enough to pay for. We must work together to make each passenger's journey as safe, secure, seamless and convenient as possible," he added.

IATA is the trade association for the world's airlines, representing some 240 members or 84 per cent of total air traffic.

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