What was the aim of the safety seminar

The South African Civil Aviation Authority hosted the inaugural Aviation Safety Seminar in February 2006. This Seminar was aimed at setting safety targets for accident and incidents reduction for the next three years. The safety targets came from the industry through this seminar. The CAA will lead the way in devising intervention strategies, which will enable everyone in the industry to achieve these targets.

The South African Civil Aviation Authority (SACAA) like many other organizations is gearing up for the Soccer World Cup in 2010. The eyes of the world will be upon this industry to perform at its peak during this world acclaimed event and the industry will be one of the most active during this period. This therefore puts pressure on us to ensure that the industry can contribute to the success of an event of this magnitude.

The image of African Aviation has been tainted by the number of fatal accidents that took place in the past few years and even though such fatalities did not affect South Africa per se, they are reason enough for the SACAA to want to do something about and even provide support within the region. The SACAA is therefore committed, through this intervention, to ensure that we reduce our own accident and incident rate.

The South African Civil Aviation Authority is also preparing for the next ICAO audit (2007) and compliance with international safety standards is of paramount importance if South Africa is to be viewed as a player in the global economic arena.

It is for these and many other reasons that the SACAA planned this Safety Seminar for the 28 February 2006. The main objective of this event was to set safety targets amongst industry players and develop ways in which these can be executed and measured beyond 2010 and the ICAO audit.

The Safety Seminar will be an annual event that review targets and strategies set during this first event, which would culminate into an annual Award Ceremony where recognition is given to all those industry players who have met and exceeded their safety targets.

The event was honored by the presence of the Honourable Minister of Transport Mr. Jeff Radebe who gave the keynote address on aviation safety in South Africa and the continent. There was also a panel discussion by some senior aviation experts and professionals on safety in South Africa and the rest of the African continent. This event was covered on National television and by the national press and broadcasting media.

There were 5 commissions or break-away groups during the seminar, namely:

Training Institutions

Technical maintenance

Legal

Operators

General Aviation

The seminar was a first attempt by the regulator to try and bring together experts in the industry with the aim of improving the safety standards in the aviation industry. We can only improve from here.