Safety Leadership Charter – Guiding Principle 4: “Create the internal capacity to proactively manage safety and collectively achieve organizational safety goals.”
Safety Leadership Charter – Guiding Principle 5: “Create an atmosphere of trust, where employees are encouraged and confident to report safety-related information.”
Background
Air Peace recognised that valuable safety insights were sometimes lost because employees felt reporting was inconvenient or were uncertain how their input would be treated.
In particular, some Flight Data Monitoring (FDM) exceedances were not matched with crew reports, creating gaps in understanding.
To address this, the airline set out to build a more open reporting culture—one that is simple, trusted, and supported by technology.
Brief description of the initiative
A new digital reporting channel was introduced to make safety reporting faster and more accessible for all staff. To support its adoption, comprehensive training was provided, strengthening a culture that encourages open and transparent reporting.
- Assurance of trust: A non-punitive policy was reinforced through briefings and training, highlighting that reports are for learning, not punishment.
- Multiple access points: QR codes displayed in briefing rooms, crew lounges, and line stations; direct links through the internal portal and Electronic Flight Bag (EFB).
- Flexible reporting: Easy-to-complete forms designed for flight crew, cabin crew, engineers, and ground staff, with options for anonymity or name disclosure.
- Design focused on simplicity: minimal steps, mobile-friendly access, and immediate confirmation that a report was received.
- System integration: Safety reports are reviewed alongside FDM data, enabling a more complete picture of events.
What positive changes did this initiative help bring?
- Increased participation: Report submissions grew steadily after launch, including proactive self-reporting by crew following exceedances.
- Better insights: Reports now provide richer context to support FDM analysis and safety investigations.
Improved feedback loop: Reporters receive acknowledgment and periodic updates on safety actions taken, building confidence in the system.
- Stronger culture of trust: Employees across departments now see reporting as part of everyday safety, not an administrative burden.
Main challenges and lessons-learned
- Building confidence and trust: Some employees initially doubted anonymity; practical demonstrations and leadership assurances helped overcome this.
- Report quality: Early reports were often incomplete; targeted guidance improved clarity.
- Awareness gap: Continuous promotion and reminders were necessary to embed the habit of reporting.
Lesson: Reporting tools alone cannot strengthen safety practices. Their effectiveness depends on an open reporting culture that is rooted in trust, constructive feedback, and sustained leadership engagement.
