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Ashwini Phadnis

Geneva, Dec. 12 The International Air Transport Association (IATA) will fully fund the cost of the IATA Operational Safety Audit (IOSA) for its members from 2008, the Director General, Mr Giovanni Bisignani, said on Wednesday.

“This is an annual investment of $5 million and demonstrates our commitment to safety and enhancing quality control. We are asking Governments to use it as it is a free and effective tool to improve safety oversight,” the Director General said while addressing the fourth global media day event here.

In India, Air India is IOSA certified. IOSA is the global standard for airline safety management. Furthermore, during 2008 not only does IATA plan to conduct the first 60 Safety Audits for Ground Operations (ISAGO), but also expand the scope of the Audit so as to include maintenance, repair and overhaul facilities. These initiatives are a part of the agenda being drawn up by IATA for 2008.

Apart from safety, the other priorities for the new year include simplifying the business, security infrastructure and taking care of the global environment.

Last month, six e-freight pilot projects were started in Singapore, Hong Kong, Sweden, the Netherlands, the UK and Canada which cover over 20 major trade routes as part of the effort to simplify business, he said.

“Eliminating paper from the shipping process is critical. We still ship goods with the same documentation that was used 60 years back. The result is that air transport is losing competitiveness. E-freight will help us regain that competitiveness,” Mr Bisignani added.

Security, which annually costs the industry $5.9 billion, also remains a major focus, he added.

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