DUBAI // Aviation safety systems must improve to allow regulators, operators and pilots to cope with the increasing number of flights in the region and the growing turmoil in neighbouring countries, experts said on Monday.
Safety concerns were raised at Dubai’s World Aviation Safety Summit.
This follows an order from civil aviation chiefs in January that UAE airlines halt all flights to Baghdad, after a flydubai plane was hit by gunfire, as it landed in the Iraqi capital.
“The decision was to reinstate all flights back to Baghdad and an investigation is still in place with the Iraqi authorities,” said Mohammed Lengawi, director of aviation security and accident investigation at the Dubai Civil Aviation Authority (DCAA).
“It takes 90 days to prepare the preliminary report itself and the UAE is participating in the investigation.”
He said the state of turmoil in the region could affect flight routes.
“It’s a precautionary measure taken by the operators or states to protect the aircraft and their passengers,” he said.
“The suspension of flights depends on a security evaluation. If the security situation in that country is unstable then we will suspend flights.
“This is based on previous incidents, reports. It could be a restriction on a certain flight level, like up to 10,000 feet, and on intel [intelligence] available,” he said.
“The operator evaluates and decides to divert or suspend but there is no permanent suspension of flights flying over Iraq, it is only parts.”
Safety challenges were at the forefront of the industry last year, said Mohammed Abdulla Ahli, director general of the DCAA. He said sharing data was essential, and that strengthening safety standards was “a shared responsibility”.
“Extensive systems are to be put in place to maintain safety records,” he said.
“We continue to develop greater coordination across different areas, such as training, to ensure we have the tools and systems in place to effectively manage the growth of the aviation industry.”
Captain Martin Chalk, deputy president of the International Federation of Airline Pilots’ Associations, said: “It is imperative that states share the intelligence they have. Once it is shared between states and their operators, they will each come to their own conclusions. The more data we collect, the better the risk analysis is likely to be.”
An aviation safety regulator and pilot who flies over conflict areas in Africa said a daily report was written by pilots, to be used for decision making.
“There is a group of competent experts every day, following flights and taking decisions,” he said. “We send a text right away to the captain [if there is any issue].”
But he said a more efficient system was needed to give a clearer picture of the risks.
“The biggest threat is going through a conflict area because they might have small rockets shooting at the aircraft,” he said. “But it is not possible to stop all risks as the aviation industry is global.”
cmalek@thenational.ae