Yannick MALINGE
SVP & Chief Aviation Safety Officer
Dear Aviation Colleagues,
Three of the most recent Safety first articles have highlighted events with unexpected, or unintended, aircraft behavior. In such cases, reporting these events is essential to better understand the cockpit conditions and human factors involved. This allows for the immediate actions such as raising awareness and increasing the flight crew’s vigilance to detect these potential problems.
Reported events also provide data needed for analysis and development of possible enhancements that can further increase the resilience of the aircraft’s systems. This is why the importance of reporting will be a topic in focus at our upcoming 28th Airbus Annual Flight Safety Conference.
Airline speakers will provide testimony about how they empower and encourage their flight, cabin, and maintenance crews to speak up and report events, even for an incident when there were no operational consequences. We will also recall how Airbus manages in service reports and practical illustrations of when reporting has made the difference and further enhanced safety.
Whilst we may reflect on the good safety record of last year, the first week of 2024 provided a stark reminder for why we must remain vigilant in all aspects of aviation safety. The images of the JAL516 flight after a ground collision with the Japan Coast Guard aircraft was an unfortunate realization of runway safety risks recently in focus for a number aviation organizations globally. It is a call for timely action and to redouble our collective efforts in addressing all such safety risks.
Thankfully, we can acknowledge the swift actions of the flight and cabin crew to effectively evacuate all passengers from the aircraft, which highlights the importance of regular training, practice and a strong safety culture. I also extend my sincere and heartfelt condolences to the families and friends of the Japan Coast guard members who lost their lives.
Despite this very challenging start to the year, together with the Airbus Safety team, I pass on our best wishes for a safe and prosperous year ahead.