Thai AirAsia X passes major international safety audit

Bangkok-based Thai AirAsia X has passed a major international safety audit, the International Air Transport Association Operation Safety Audit (IOSA), that covers more than 1060 separate parameters. Thai AirAsia X is a JV between Thai nationals Tassapon Bijleveld and Julpas Krueospon with 51% share and Air Asia X with 49%. Thai AirAsia X operates 8 A330s to 7 destinations in Asia. 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. See the video of ANA A380 superjumbo turtle being painted. Now 427 airlines have completed the audit, which is renewed every two years. The completion of the audit elevates the Thai operation from three stars to six-stars out of a possible seven-star safety rating with AirlineRatings.com. The airline is the fifth in AirAsia Group to become IOSA accredited following AirAsia X Malaysia in 2015, AirAsia Indonesia in August 2018, AirAsia Malaysia in September 2018 and AirAsia Philippine in November 2018. Nadda Buranasiri, Group CEO of AirAsia X, said the carrier’s completion of the IOSA accreditation process confirms the ongoing focus on continual improvement in the areas of operational and safety integrity and is a testament to the hard work of the whole team at AirAsia X Thailand. “I would like to thank all our team members for their diligent and stringent work to ensure robust safety and service procedures that meet the highest world safety standards.  Our achievement of IOSA is a credit to all of your efforts and will instill further confidence amongst our passengers,” Mr. Nadda said. IATA is a world-recognized aviation industry operations, management and standards control inspection and evaluation agency.  The IOSA accreditation process covers eight key areas, namely; corporate organization and management systems, flight operations, operational control - flight dispatch, aircraft engineering and maintenance, cabin operations, ground handling, cargo operations, and operational security. 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 fly to 165 destinations in 25 countries. It has just ordered or reconfirmed orders for 100 A330s for its AirAsia X operation. Also, it 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.