Saudi Arabian Airlines (SAUDIA), the national flag carrier of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, has renewed the IATA Operational Safety Audit (IOSA) certification. Created by the International Air Transport Association (IATA), IOSA is an accredited international evaluation system designed to assess the operational management and control systems of an airline.
The biennial audit was conducted by a specialized international team accredited by IATA that reviews the safety and quality of airline operational processes. The audit included a review of the effectiveness of SAUDIA’s documentation of its safety procedures as well as an evaluation of the operational quality requirements and their practical application on the ground.
In addition, the audit team went on scheduled flights, conducted field audits on all procedures followed during the flights, and ensured the safety and quality of operational processes besides studying the detailed operations across various relevant divisions, and it included eight sectors and operational locations: safety and quality systems, flight operations, flight dispatch, aircraft engineering and maintenance, cabin operations, ground operations, cargo operations, and aviation security.
Captain Ibrahim S. Koshy, CEO of SAUDIA, expressed his pride at SAUDIA’s success in passing the audit with excellence as well as on the positive observations of IATA regarding the accuracy of the safety procedures and operational quality at SAUDIA. He said that safety procedures are part of SAUDIA’s daily operational processes and that this recognition is not the first and will not be the last, as the national air carrier has received numerous commendations from international air transport organizations.
“SAUDIA applies and prioritizes strict internal procedures for the safety and quality of its operations. Passing the audit at this advanced level and receiving the best safety and operational quality reports have been made possible by the efforts of our people and their full commitment to our meticulous procedures. Our team members know they are responsible for keeping our guests safe and serving them in a way that enhances their trust and loyalty to SAUDIA,” Captain Koshy stated.
SAUDIA is one of the first airlines to be audited by IOSA since the establishment of the airline audit program in 2003. The IOSA certification is granted by IATA to airlines that meet a number of approved safety and operational quality standards. This certificate has become a prerequisite for IATA membership, which highlights the importance of this recognition for SAUDIA.
