Airline Safety Audits Passed

The National Airline Air Vanuatu has passed all recent audits. These included an Air Operating Certificate (AOC) renewal audit for which all aspects of the operation are investigated and need to be compliant. At the same time as this audit was done, all claims are investigated including for example prior staff member Mr. Friend’s claims. These claims have been deemed unfounded and dismissed by the independent investigators who say that these allegations are baseless. This important operating certificate has been renewed and the process is finished.

At the end of June this year the airline also passed the second safety activity which is the IATA Operational Safety Audit (IOSA) Program which is an internationally recognized and accepted evaluation system designed to assess the operational management and control systems of an airline. This is also normal and happens on a two-yearly basis for every airline in the world. This is to ensure that all the right safety checks are in place and the teams are performing according to the international standards.

In addition, there was a spot audit in Brisbane last week by CASA (Civil Aviation Safety Authority of Australia) which was also passed.

Safety audits are a normal part of the requirements of any airline and a big part of the work done each year at Air Vanuatu. At Air Vanuatu this maintenance work is taken very seriously. Also, maintenance staff must be licensed for the tasks they carry out and not everyone can work on any aircraft. Earlier this year, the Boeing 737 aircraft was fully serviced. This is a normal part of regular maintenance and happens to the plane on a scheduled basis. In June this year the aircraft was flown to Hong Kong by Air Vanuatu pilots for this servicing to ensure completion before the borders opened in July.

“We are absolutely committed to safety and will do whatever is required to maintain our safety standards” says Mr. Finau.