Safety Leadership Charter, Guiding Principle 5: “Create an atmosphere of trust, where employees are encouraged and confident to report safety-related information.”
Background
As the first Chinese airline to sign the Safety Leadership Charter, Xiamen Airlines has committed to adhering to the highest safety standards. It has successfully implemented its "Six Pillars" initiative, a comprehensive framework designed to proactively manage safety and achieve long-term organizational safety goals. This initiative, rooted in the company’s Safety Leadership Charter, has already yielded significant results, showcasing the airline’s commitment to safety and operational excellence.
Its "Six Pillars" include Safety Responsibility, Regulatory Manual, Flight Training, Quality Control, Risk Management, and Safety Culture, providing a structured and systematic framework for continuous improvement in safety management.
This article will focus on the perspective of Safety Culture to examine how Xiamen Airlines has prioritized "just culture" and "reporting culture" to cultivate an open, trustworthy environment where employees feel empowered to report safety concerns without fear of retribution.
Brief description of the initiative
While Xiamen Airlines adopted voluntary reporting mechanisms ten years ago, the carrier has recently introduced five systemic improvements to overcome operational challenges posed by: (1) evolving risk profiles, (2) surging report submissions, (3) suboptimal processing capacity, (4) insufficient data analysis.
- Optimized Report Policy
Xiamen Airlines has formulated a series of incentive policies, establishing a reward scheme for hidden hazard identification and voluntary reporting, and setting up special bonuses to encourage employees to participate in proactive reporting initiatives.
- Streamlined Reporting Process
The airline has optimized the user experience by refining the computer-based submission interface and introducing a mobile reporting function, enabling front line employees to immediately submit reports using their mobile phones upon identifying operational issues or safety risks in the field, while significantly improving processing efficiency.
- Transparent Tracking Process
The revamped reporting system features end-to-end visibility, allowing reporters now receive real-time updates on the status of their submissions, and to track which operational or safety departments are evaluating their reports, fostering greater engagement in the safety information management process.
- Expert-Led Data Analysis
A dedicated team of in-house experts—including front line representatives from flight operations, maintenance, dispatch, and ground handlings—has been assembled to review, analyze, and assess reports. To ensure confidentiality, all reports are anonymized during analysis. Valuable insights are promptly identified and forwarded to operational departments for risk mitigation and process improvements.
- Advanced IT Capabilities
Collaborating with CAAC, Xiamen Airlines has integrated intelligent semantic analysis and advanced AI models into its reporting system. The system now features automatic detection of historical duplicate reports, AI-powered text analysis, and smart tagging for automated categorization. It can autonomously determine whether an incident requires reporting to aviation authorities and intelligently route reports to the relevant departments. Additionally, the system identifies trending keywords and high-frequency safety concerns, providing data-driven insights to assist management in decision-making. These innovations significantly enhance submission and processing efficiency, empowering employees with smarter, more streamlined tools for safety reporting.
What Positive Changes Did It Help Bring
The implementation of the voluntary reporting improvements has not gone unnoticed. During its first Risk-based IOSA audit in October 2024, Xiamen Airlines demonstrated exceptional maturity and stability in its "just culture" and "reporting culture". The upgraded voluntary reporting initiative has delivered measurable safety benefits across multiple dimensions:
- Surge in Employee Engagement
The program achieved a 30% year-on-year increase in staff participation, with 21,365 voluntary safety reports submitted in 2024 - reflecting a strong culture of safety awareness and participation.
- Operational Enhancements
Analysis of employee reports drove substantial operational upgrades:
- 7,879 corrective actions implemented
- 735 maintenance recommendations adopted
- 358 manual procedures revised
- Industry Collaboration
Xiamen Airlines actively collaborate with the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) and the Civil Aviation University of China (CAUC) on the Sino Confidential Aviation Safety Reporting System(SCASS), providing constructive suggestions and contributions to the development of the industry's voluntary reporting initiatives.
Main challenges and lessons-learned
"These outcomes validate our investment in creating a truly participatory safety culture," noted a Xiamen Airlines safety executive. "When every employee becomes a safety sensor, we multiply our risk detection capabilities."
A robust safety culture empowers every employee to voluntarily speak up for safety and proactively drive operational improvements. We recommend adopting similar approaches—through strengthened policy leadership, enhanced reporting systems, and improved feedback mechanisms—to collectively build an enduring safety culture.
It is particularly noteworthy that Xiamen Airlines will host the 2025 IATA World Safety and Operations Conference (WSOC) in Xiamen, China. We cordially invite global aviation partners to visit this company and jointly explore the unique value of safety leadership and safety culture.
