AirAsia Thailand passes major international safety audit

Low-cost carrier AirAsia Thailand (FD) has passed a major international safety audit after satisfying more than 1000 parameters. The accreditation under the  International Air Transport Association Operational Safety Audit (IOSA) provides a significant boost to the airline’s safety rating and makes it the sixth airline in the AirAsia group to record the achievement. READ: Boeing 777X program accelerates. The Thai carrier's certification follows similar achievements by AirAsia X Thailand in December 2018,  AirAsia Philippines in November 2018, AirAsia Malaysia in September 2018, AirAsia Indonesia in August 2018 and AirAsia X (Malaysia) in 2015. It is part of a major Safety push at the group that is seeing AirAsia India and AirAsia Japan also undertaking the IOSA process. Once that happens, the entire AirAsia goup will be IOSA certified. 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 biennial 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. It covers eight key areas: corporate organization and management systems, flight operations, operational control - flight dispatch, aircraft engineering and maintenance, cabin operations, ground handling, cargo operations and operational security. AirAsia Thailand chief executive Santisuk Klongchaiya said the carrier’s IOSA certification was an affirmation of the commitment and importance its team devotes to safety, assuring that the carrier continued to work diligently to adhere to the highest safety standards in its operations. “Our passing of the IOSA certification would not have been possible without our very capable team,” Santisuk said. “I thank every member for their diligence and stringent observation of safety standards. This validation is a reward to all who were involved and will go a long way to further strengthen the confidence of our passengers.’’