Safety Management Systems (SMS) for Airlines (LIVE virtual classroom)
Did you know that in the past 3 years, 1163 participants from 84 countries have taken this course with IATA?
About the course
4-day (20 hours) LIVE virtual classroom course

Implementation of SMS became mandatory for airline international operations in November 2006. Since then, the airline community has developed considerable experience and acquired important “lessons learned” regarding both SMS implementation and operation. However, most training currently available for the airline community still relies on contents developed to satisfy early SMS implementation requirements. This course reflects progress on SMS practical knowledge as well as conceptual thinking since 2006, both resulting from shared industry experiences, including latest requirements regarding safety culture and the enhanced protection for safety data and safety information included in the second edition of Annex 19.
Course code: TALS-01-VC
Course format
- The live sessions of this virtual classroom course are delivered by an official IATA Instructor.
- The course will take you approximately 20 hours to complete and be held over 4 consecutive days.
- There will be 1 live interactive virtual classroom sessions per day, each session will be 180 minutes.
- The live sessions will require your participation, with multiple Q&A sessions and additional time spent on self-study material including projects, research, additional reading and videos.
- Student performance will be based on an assessment.
Technical requirements
Please verify your hardware, software and network to support your upcoming course with IATA Training.
Prerequisites
- If you don’t have knowledge of Safety Management System concepts, we recommend that you take the IATA Safety Management Systems Fundamentals e-learning course before this course.
- Recommended level is Intermediate.
- The recommended level of language proficiency is ICAO Operational Level 4 for courses in English or the equivalent level for other languages.
How to register
To arrange in-house training for your company: Complete the in-house training request form or contact the B2B Training Specialist in your region.
Virtual venues
We schedule our virtual classroom courses through one of 3 virtual venues, each in a different time zone for your convenience. For more information, please visit our page on virtual classroom timing or contact our Customer Portal.
Please check the exact schedule of each class below (View more details) and click ‘Register’.
5 additional classes are scheduled
Virtual Session Americas (IATA)
11 - 14 September, 2023
Register before Jun 11, 2023 to take advantage of the 20% Early Bird discount (only for payment by credit card or ICH)*. The price below includes this discount. *Terms apply
Please register by 28 Aug
Find out more about our Early Bird Terms.
All prices are before tax and include applicable discounts.
Class no: 172402
English
Virtual Session Asia (IATA)
9 - 12 October, 2023
Register before Jul 09, 2023 to take advantage of the 20% Early Bird discount (only for payment by credit card or ICH)*. The price below includes this discount. *Terms apply
Please register by 25 Sep
Find out more about our Early Bird Terms.
All prices are before tax and include applicable discounts.
Class no: 172732
English
View more details
View fewer details
Virtual Session EMEA (IATA)
16 - 19 October, 2023
Register before Jul 16, 2023 to take advantage of the 20% Early Bird discount (only for payment by credit card or ICH)*. The price below includes this discount. *Terms apply
Please register by 02 Oct
Find out more about our Early Bird Terms.
All prices are before tax and include applicable discounts.
Class no: 172947
English
View more details
View fewer details
Virtual Session Americas (IATA)
18 - 21 December, 2023
Register before Jun 18, 2023 to take advantage of the 25% Early Bird discount (only for payment by credit card or ICH)*. The price below includes this discount. *Terms apply
Please register by 04 Dec
Find out more about our Early Bird Terms.
All prices are before tax and include applicable discounts.
Class no: 172403
English
What you will learn
Upon completing this course you will be able to:
- Summarize the fundamental safety management concepts that sustain the operation of an SMS
- Establish the priorities for safety mitigation based on the evaluation of safety risk
- Develop strategies for safety risk mitigation using safety risk profiles as frame of reference
- Develop the building blocks for the implementation and operation of an effective airline employee safety reporting program
- Develop strategies for safety risk mitigation using safety risk profiles as frame of reference
- Explain the requirements to achieve compliance with ICAO Annex 19 and IOSA SMS standards
Course content
The key topics that are covered during this course include:
- Levels of safety risk decision making
- Importance of an evidence-based allocation of resources
- Safety deficiency, hazard, potential consequence and safety risk
- Steps involved in monitoring safety performance
- Safety risk profiles
- Safety reporting program
Who should attend
This course is recommended for:
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Airline operations managers
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Corporate and operational safety managers, analysts, coordinators
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Postholders
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Quality managers
Certificate awarded
An IATA Certificate of Completion is awarded to participants obtaining a grade of 70% or higher on all exercises and exams. A special distinction is awarded to participants obtaining a grade of 90% or higher.
This course is a step toward earning an IATA Diploma