The International Air Transport Association (IATA) has recently signed an agreement with Commonwealth of Independent States’ (CIS) Interstate Aviation Committee (IAC, also known by its Russian abbreviation which is MAK) to improve aviation safety throughout the 12 member CIS.

The expanded agreement adds specific points to IATA’s existing cooperation partnership with the IAC including promoting IATA Operational Safety Audits (IOSA), IATA’s Integrated- Airline Management System (IAMS), IATA Safety Audits for Ground Operations (ISAGO) and other similar initiatives. The accord also covers the development and enhancement of civil aviation infrastructure in the states united by IAC, including implementation of the ICAO standard for Reduced Vertical Separation Minima (RVSM) and Performance-Based Navigation.

“Safety is our top priority, and the performance of the CIS is far below the global average,” said IATA’s director general and CEO, Giovanni Bisignani. “All IATA airlines – including 15 in the CIS are on the IOSA Registry. I look forward to working closely with the IAC to help raise the bar on safety in this region by promoting IOSA and other IATA global standards,” said Bisignani.

Meanwhile, IATA also announced that all 224 of its member airlines, comprising 93 per cent of all scheduled international air traffic, are listed on the IATA Operational Safety Audit (IOSA) registry.

“Today is a momentous day for aviation safety – our number one priority,” said Giovanni Bisignani, IATA’s Director General and CEO.