AI EXPRESS CLEARS SAFETY AUDIT, SET FOR GLOBAL TIEUPS

NEWDELHI: Low-fare international carrier Air India Express on Monday said it has cleared a key global safety audit that will help it strike commercial agreements with international airlines.

The International Air Transport Association (IATA)’s operational safety audit (IOSA) certification is valid for two years. IOSA standards are specified for systems, policies, processes and equipment, among others. International airlines mandate IOSA certification for any collaboration.

Air India Express chief executive officer (CEO) K Shyam Sundar said in a statement that the recognition was testimony to the airline’s “hard work to conform to internationally accepted standards.”

Air India Express, a subsidiary of Air India (AI), suffered a serious accident in 2010 when its flight IX-812 overshot the runway and fell off a hillside in Mangalore, killing 152 people on board. The airline was pulled up for not having proper safety structures and depending on officers of Air India.

In a June interview, CEO Sundar had said the airline was preparing for the IOSA certification. It installed proper structures in operations, flight safety, training and human resources.

Based in Kochi, Kerala, Air India Express operates about 550 flights per week, connecting 15 Indian cities and 14 international destinations in West Asia and South East Asia with 23 Boeing 737-800 NG aircraft.