Washington - The International Air Transport Association (IATA) and the Flight Safety Foundation today released a new Runway Excursion Risk Reduction tool kit.

The tool kit is designed to reduce the number of runway excursions, which are instances when an aircraft unexpectedly leaves the runway during takeoff or landing.

IATA safety data for 2004-2008 identifies runway excursions as a contributing factor in 27% of all accidents. Flight Safety Foundation data confirms that this amounted to an average of 30 accidents per year over the last 14 years.

“Safety is our number one priority,” Giovanni Bisignani, IATA’s Director General and CEO. “Our safety record is constantly improving. Getting on a plane is about the safest thing that anybody can do. And we are determined to make it even safer. Data drives safety improvements. This toolkit analyses the major causes of runway excursions and provides practical solutions,” Giovanni Bisignani, IATA’s Director General and CEO.

The new tool kit provides an in depth analysis of runway excursion accident data, a compilation of significant risk factors, and provides recommendations for operators, pilots, airports, air traffic management, air traffic controllers and regulators to assist in addressing this challenge. The toolkit also contains considerable training materials and best practices for all operators.

“Safety is the responsibility of everyone in the industry. The tool kit provides solutions for airlines, airports and regulators—from training to on-the-job implementation,” said Bisignani.

Notes for Editors:

  • IATA (International Air Transport Association) represents some 230 airlines comprising 93% of scheduled international air traffic.
  • Flight Safety Foundation is an independent, nonprofit, international organization engaged in research, auditing, education, advocacy and publishing to improve aviation safety. The Foundation’s mission is to pursue the continuous improvement of global aviation safety and the prevention of accidents. www.flightsafety.org

For more information, please contact:
Corporate Communications
Tel: +41 22 770 2967
Email: corpcomms@iata.org