Imagine an aircraft speeding down the runway during takeoff or landing when suddenly it veers off course. This dramatic scenario, known as a runway excursion, represents one of the most frequent types of aviation accidents. Runway safety, though technical-sounding, directly impacts every passenger's flight security. The International Air Transport Association (IATA) has prioritized runway safety as a critical focus area, collaborating with stakeholders worldwide to minimize risks.
IATA: The Coordinating Force Behind Aviation Safety
IATA serves as a central platform uniting airlines, airports, regulators, air navigation service providers, aircraft manufacturers, and international organizations. Through data-driven strategies, it develops and implements safety measures to address runway-related hazards.
Runway Excursions: Aviation's Most Frequent Mishap
Data reveals that runway excursions top the list of aviation incidents. These occur when aircraft depart runway surfaces during takeoff or landing, potentially causing damage to equipment or, in severe cases, loss of life. Contributing factors range from unstable approaches and delayed go-around decisions to poor runway conditions. Effective prevention requires coordinated efforts among pilots, air traffic controllers, airport authorities, and navigation service providers.
IATA provides comprehensive resources to enhance understanding of runway excursions and their contributing factors, enabling aviation professionals to implement more effective preventive measures.
Global Runway Safety Action Plan: A Collaborative Framework
The Global Runway Safety Action Plan (GRSAP), launched during the 2nd Global Runway Safety Symposium in 2017, represents a joint effort between IATA and industry partners. The plan offers tailored recommendations for airports, manufacturers, operators, and air navigation service providers, with the primary goal of reducing global runway excursions and incursions. An updated version was released in February 2024.
IATA collaborates extensively with industry partners through initiatives like the Global Action Plan for Prevention of Runway Excursions (GAPPRE) and Global Action Plan for Prevention of Runway Incursions (GAPPRI), demonstrating its pivotal role in reviewing and validating safety processes.
These frameworks contain consensus-based recommendations that exceed regulatory requirements, addressing both risk and resilience factors. The guidelines apply to airport operators, aircraft operators, navigation service providers, manufacturers, regulators, and international aviation organizations, including research and development suggestions for national and international entities.
Analyzing Runway Safety Data
IATA's Annual Safety Report provides detailed aviation accident analyses, including runway safety outcomes. The report's interactive features allow users to filter data by time period, aircraft type, and operator region, enabling customized examinations that reveal trends and patterns to inform safety improvements.
Preventive Measures: Addressing Risks Before They Occur
The IATA Annual Safety Report serves as a comprehensive platform for examining various runway-related incidents. It includes dedicated sections on threat and error management, focusing on factors contributing to runway safety events. Users can explore multiple accident categories, including runway excursions, tail strikes, runway damage, and hard landings. The report also features preventive recommendations outlining strategies to enhance runway safety and prevent aviation accidents.
Unstable Approaches: Amplifiers of Safety Risks
IATA's Unstable Approach Guidelines (3rd Edition), developed in collaboration with CANSO, IFATCA, and IFALPA, addresses issues related to unstable approaches. Safety data from IATA's Global Aviation Data Management accident database shows that over half of commercial aircraft accidents occur during approach and landing phases, with unstable approaches contributing to 16% of accidents between 2012-2016.
Improving compliance with stable approach standards and policies will reduce accident risks. Additional enhancements will come from coordinated efforts among pilots, air traffic controllers, airport staff, regulators, training organizations, and international trade associations.
Flight Management Systems: The Risks Behind Automation
While Flight Management Systems (FMS) automate numerous flight tasks to reduce pilot workload and improve safety, they remain dependent on accurate pilot inputs. Errors in performance and navigation data entry represent potential accident factors. IATA's FMS Data Entry Error Prevention Best Practices Guide helps elevate industry-wide safety standards.
Standard Phraseology: Eliminating Communication Noise
Standardized communication reduces misinterpretation risks and facilitates error detection through read-back/hear-back processes. Ambiguous or non-standard phraseology frequently contributes to aircraft accidents and incidents.
To harmonize procedures related to altitude restrictions on Standard Instrument Departures (SIDs) and Standard Terminal Arrivals (STARs), IATA collaborated with IFALPA on an airline pilot survey, resulting in the Phraseology Conflict – SIDs/STARs Survey Report (2015 Edition). This document identifies risks associated with inconsistent global implementation of SID/STAR terminology and provides coordinated recommendations to address these risks.
Additional research conducted with IFALPA and IFATCA through online surveys examined communication issues and non-ICAO standard phraseology usage. The resulting report identifies areas where established or local phraseology has been—or could be—misinterpreted.