A COLLABORATED EFFORT ON AVIATION SAFETY

A robust aviation safety culture is built on trust, transparency and continuous improvement of the safety systems and requires collaboration from all stakeholders in the aviation industry.

Air Niugini’s Chief Executive Officer, Mr Gary Seddon highlighted this when speaking during the three-day Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) PNG Aviation Safety and Security Conference held in Port Moresby last week.

Mr Seddon said as an airline, safety is the cornerstone of Air Niugini’s operations with several key initiatives being planned towards achieving a just and appropriate safety culture. They include open communication and collaboration with the regulator and stake holders, continuous staff training and staff empowerment.

“ At Air Niugini, we believe safety begins with our people. We encourage all employees from the ground staff to engineers, cabin crew and pilots to report safety issues without fear of retribution. Our “Just Culture” framework ensures individuals are treated fairly and encourages safety reporting at all levels without reasonable consequences. By removing barriers to reporting, we can identify and address safety concerns in real time, further enhancing operational safety”

“ We(Air Niugini) also invests heavily in training programs for our employees including pilots’ recurrent training, to ground staff safety protocols, making sure that all personnel are up to date with the latest safety certification, standards and technologies. We work closely with CASAPNG to ensure our operations meet and exceed all regulatory safety standards and that includes regular safety audits and reviews with international bodies such as the IATA Operational Safety Audit(IOSA) to maintain and improve safety performance.” Mr Seddon said.

Mr Seddon also spoke about the future of the aviation industry and its demands, the arrival of Air Niugini’s next generation jet aircraft the Airbus A220 September next year, to be followed by the Boeing 787 Dreamliner as part of the airline’s re-fleeting program, the current environmental and infrastructural challenges and the urgent need to address these issues.

“ Many of our domestic airports lack essential elements like the runway lighting, Precision Approach Path Indicators(PAPI) landing aids , area navigation(RNAV) and appropriate rescue firefighting services. These infrastructure improvements are essential for increasing aircraft utilization, extending operating hours and safely and compliantly improving services to our people. With improved infrastructures, we could extend operations to more airports during low visibility, making travel safer and more efficient especially for our people in the remote areas”

“ The success of Air Niugini- and indeed the future of PNG’s aviation industry depends on our ability to meet these challenges head-on.” Mr Seddon said

The CEO also acknowledged four Air Niugini staff who were recipients of the long service awards for demonstrating a remarkable commitment not only to Air Niugini, but also the aviation industry. They include Captain Francis Pohonhelan for his 42 years with Air Niugini, longest serving staff , Dickie Kabb (44 years), longest serving pilot, Capt Michael Rosier (37 years) and Captain Naime Aihi(35 years.) 

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