AirAsia passes major international safety audit

Kuala-Lumpur-based AirAsia has passed a major international safety audit, the International Air Transport Association Operation Safety Audit (IOSA), that covers more than 1060 separate parameters. The airline is the founding and largest members of the AirAsia Group. The operational safety audit is compulsory for IATA members and airlines that have completed the audit have a safety record almost four times better than those that have not. READ: I have changed my mind, I would now fly AirAsia.  Now 425 airlines have completed the audit, which is renewed every two years. The completion of the audit elevates the Malaysian operation from five to seven-stars out of a possible seven-star safety rating with AirlineRatings.com. AirAsia X and Indonesia AirAsia are already IOSA accredited and other airlines in the group are in the final process of completing the audit. The awarding of the IOSA accreditation is expected to be a major boost for the airline. The IOSA certification audit is an internationally recognized and accepted evaluation system designed to assess the operational management and control systems of an airline. The audit covers eight functional and operational areas: organization and management system, flight operations, operational control, and flight dispatch, aircraft engineering and maintenance, cabin operations, ground handling operations, cargo operations, and security management. IOSA was introduced to stem the increasing number of crashes in the late 1990s and into the beginning of the last decade. The AirAsia Group airlines now fly to 165 destinations in 25 countries. It has just ordered or reconfirmed orders for 100 A330s for its AirAsia X operation. Separately long-haul, low-cost, operator AirAsia X is evaluating Airbus’ long-range version of the  A321neo as it moves to target more destinations within a range of seven hours. Powered by CFM International’s LAEP-1A engines, the A321neo LR,  is due to enter service in the fourth quarter of 2018 and is designed to carry up to 240 passengers 4000 nautical miles. The airline confirmed last month it was evaluating “the potential introduction” of the 321neo LR for developing routes.