In 2016, Sub-Saharan Africa had its best performance within the last decade, with zero passenger fatalities and zero jet hull losses. The all accident rate was 2.30 per one million departures, compared to 9.73 for the previous five years. The continent also saw continuing improvement in turboprop safety, with a turboprop hull loss rate of 1.56 (85% lower than its 2011-2015 yearly average). There was one non-fatal turboprop hull loss.
“Sub-Saharan airlines delivered a very strong performance in 2016. But we must not rest on this success. Safety is earned every day. The lesson in Africa’s improvement is that global standards like the IATA Operational Safety Audit (IOSA) make a difference. African nations should maintain this strong momentum by making IOSA and the IATA Standard Safety Assessment (for those carriers that are not eligible for IOSA) a part of their airline certification process. Regional governments also need to accelerate the implementation of ICAO’s safety-related standards and recommended practices (SARPS). As of year-end 2016, only 22 African countries had at least 60% SARPS implementation,” said de Juniac.
The 33 sub-Saharan airlines on the IOSA registry performed nearly twice as well as non-IOSA airlines in 2016 in terms of all accidents and performed 7.5 times better than non-IOSA operators in the 2012-2016 period.
In 2016, the accident rate for IOSA members was nearly twice as good as for non-IOSA airlines (1.25 vs. 2.36) and it was more than three times better over the previous five years. IOSA has created a standard that is comparable on a world-wide basis, enabling and maximizing joint use of audit reports. All IATA members are required to maintain their IOSA Registration. There are currently 413 Airlines on the Registry of which 144 are non-IATA Members: This is an additional testament to IOSA and its role. In 2017, IOSA will be strengthened and transformed into a digital program.
