Safety in the Air
Air Transport - Safety Initiatives in Air Transport
Nippon Cargo Airlines Co. Ltd. (NCA) is audited by the International Air Transport Association (IATA) using the IOSA standard (i.e., IATA Operation Safety Audit). NCA's IOSA registration has been successfully renewed and remains valid until October 19, 2023.
This audit aims to verify that airline operations comply with international safety standards. The audit covers up to 900 items, especially a wide range of safety management systems as well as details concerning operations and maintenance. Five auditors take up to five days to complete the audit.
To maintain this registration, airline companies must be audited and verified by IATA every two years for registration renewal with the audit items reviewed every year and updated in accordance with the latest international standards. The next audit is scheduled for June 2023*.
The IOSA registration verifies that an airline company operates safely in compliance with internationally accepted standards. Every year, NCA confirms that it properly complies with the audit items required by IOSA through an internal audit process in order to maintain a high level of safety.
- *In fiscal 2021 and fiscal 2022, in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the number of items to be audited decreased due to a change from face-to-face audits to remote examinations, a special provision established by the IATA. As a result, the validity period has been shortened from two years to one year.
- More Information:
Build an Operational Framework That Ensures Reliability and Safety for the Re-Born NCA
Nippon Cargo Airlines Co., Ltd. (NCA) has been conducting a complete overhaul of its business to restore trust since receiving a business improvement order and operation improvement order from the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism (MLIT) in fiscal 2018. The company has carried out extensive activities in various areas, including strengthening control and supervisory functions on the front lines and at the business management level, reforming safety promotion meetings, and establishing an information-sharing system and links between frontline operations and back-office divisions. Through these activities, NCA is working to ensure safety and build a stable operating structure.
Response to Business Improvement Order
Main Improvements
- Shifted to single-aircraft-type operating system for B747-8F aircraft
- Rebuilt maintenance system
- Ensured companywide awareness regarding the observation of manuals and compliance
- Strengthened control and supervisory functions across the company, including not only at maintenance divisions but also at the business management level
Initiatives for Acquiring Continuous Airworthiness Certificate
To receive a safety reevaluation, coordination between the maintenance front lines and the back-office divisions (engineering, maintenance planning, and quality assurance) is important. Individual maintenance operational procedures were thoroughly reviewed and extensive education and
awareness-raising among maintenance technicians were carried out to ensure that maintenance operations are executed properly. Furthermore,
when situations arise that have not been anticipated by back-office divisions, the front lines indicate areas needing improvement and backoffice divisions respond accordingly to ensure mutual understanding through cooperation between both sides and to promote operational improvements. The 60 or so maintenance technicians are divided into three teams to upgrade the management structure. In addition, on-site points of contact with back-office divisions were established to create an environment that facilitates consultations with maintenance engineers. Furthermore, the monthly safety promotion meetings* have been reorganized to involve members from management, business, and corporate planning divisions, including those on the maintenance front lines and belonging to back-office divisions, to create a structure that allows companywide safety-related discussions and sharing of information. Going forward, building a safe operating structure will continue to be our top priority in the re-born of NCA.
- *A meeting under the Safety Promotion Committee, chaired by the president, for promoting concrete safety activities across the organization. The meeting discusses measures to address safety concerns.