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studies / Safety management |
NLR-ATSI has concluded a study concerning
aviation safety management in Switzerland
In recent years the Swiss aviation sector has been struck
by a series of severe aviation accidents. The tragic
sequence of aviation accidents started with the crash
of a Swissair MD-11, in Halifax, in 1998, followed by
two fatal accident with Crossair aircraft (a Saab 340
near Nassenwil in January of 2000, and an Avro RJ 100
near Bassersdorf in November of 2001). Finally, on July
1, 2002, two aircraft crashed near Üeberlingen (Germany)
after a mid-air collision in airspace controlled by
Skyguide, the Swiss air navigation service provider.
This has led to the perception that within the Swiss
air transportation system there might be structural
causes, leading to an inadequate level of safety.
For this reason the Swiss Confederation decided, that
an independent investigation should be performed to
determine the effectiveness and efficiency of the processes
and organisations,
responsible for ensuring and managing aviation safety
in
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Switzerland. The safety institute, together with two external
consultants, was contracted by the Swiss "Department for Environment,
Traffic, Energy and Communication" (DETEC), to perform this
prestigious assignment. The safety institute was selected on
the basis of its proven and wide aviation know-how, combined
with its proposed methodical approach towards to completing
the review. The investigation addressed all major parties, comprising
airlines, airports, ATC, the aviation authority, the accident
investigation bureau, unions and, last but not least, DETEC
itself. Moreover the study included a benchmark analysis, comparing
Switzerland with its neighbouring countries. A large number
of interviews have been conducted with representatives of all
involved organisations, ranging from top management to actual
safety managers and inspectors. In addition, over 300 documents
were gathered and studied.
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End of June the final report,
entitled "Aviation Safety Management in Switzerland –
recovering from the myth of perfection" was delivered
to DETEC. The Minister of Transport publicly released
the report July 1st, exactly one year after the Überlingen
accident. The report shows that the once exemplary safety
record of Swiss aviation has deteriorated in the last
decade to an average Western standard, with a clear negative
safety trend during the last five years. The report clearly
identifies the underlying causes, and specifies recommendations
(28 in total) to reverse this trend. Main recommendations
concern the re-organisation of the aviation authority,
the process of implementation of safety recommendations
and the introduction and/or |
strengthening of safetymanagement and risk assessment processes
within the aviation sector. The results and conclusions of the
report have been well received by the Swiss aviation sector,
and are fully endorsed by the Swiss Minister of Transport. As
a result of the report the Minister has assigned a national
safety delegate to devise an action plan to implement the recommendations.
The safety institute feels very proud that with this study it
has actually set the stage for the Swiss aviation sector to
recover from the myth of perfection to actual excellence again.
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