.jpg){kind=small}
Over recent weeks an unprecedented amount of column inches have been given to incidents and issues surrounding hazards to commercial aviation. Three bird strikes on European airliners in as many weeks, the announced grounding of Concorde and a report highlighting the dangers of building a four-runway hub in a conservation area in Essex have brought renewed energy to those working in the aviation industry. Even against a backdrop of heightened sensitivity to safety matters after 9/11 and long term increasing perceptions of safety, recent coverage has been bountiful.
But what of these issues and incidents? British Midland's fledgling low cost airline, bmibaby, suffered a bird strike leading to an emergency landing at Manchester Airport and the very next week 70 of their passengers were stranded overnight in Spain after the nose cone of their plane was damaged on landing in Barcelona. Then, a report highlighting bird hazards had cause to raise its head in the most unlikely of places - the Financial Times. A Government report dealt a heavy blow to plans for a giant airport hub in one of the most important wetlands in Europe when the Central Science Laboratories and Royal Society for the Protection of Birds warned of the severe threat posed by birds. Then came the news many pundits had been waiting for- Concorde was indeed leaving service after a down turn in luxury travel and ticket sales never recovering from when a piece of debris on the runway at Charles de Gaulle began a catastrophic chain of events resulting in all lives being lost on an Air France Concorde. As if this were not enough, on the same day as this joint announcement by BA and Air France, news services across the UK watched and reported as the story unfolded of a 737 carrying 195 people which had suffered a bird strike on take off. To relief all round the plane landed safely at Stansted after a tense few hours of dumping fuel.
The thing in common to all these events was that they were manageable hazards. There are no guarantees of absolute safety and the industry is learning from each incident, but what next? Hazard controls are in place. Staff are trained in how to use them. Procedures are in place to bring all these elements together to tackle threats. Where will the increasing safety come from? ClickAirport are working with leading industry bodies to embody skills, equipment and procedures into a framework of Safety Management Systems which take airports to the next level of airfield management. Compliance will be measured over more frequent periods; safety will be assessed in real time with visibility on-demand; processes adjusted against current conditions to maximise safeguarding and the measurement of key performance indicators will be subjected to best practice benchmarks.
But what of these issues and incidents? British Midland's fledgling low cost airline, bmibaby, suffered a bird strike leading to an emergency landing at Manchester Airport and the very next week 70 of their passengers were stranded overnight in Spain after the nose cone of their plane was damaged on landing in Barcelona. Then, a report highlighting bird hazards had cause to raise its head in the most unlikely of places - the Financial Times. A Government report dealt a heavy blow to plans for a giant airport hub in one of the most important wetlands in Europe when the Central Science Laboratories and Royal Society for the Protection of Birds warned of the severe threat posed by birds. Then came the news many pundits had been waiting for- Concorde was indeed leaving service after a down turn in luxury travel and ticket sales never recovering from when a piece of debris on the runway at Charles de Gaulle began a catastrophic chain of events resulting in all lives being lost on an Air France Concorde. As if this were not enough, on the same day as this joint announcement by BA and Air France, news services across the UK watched and reported as the story unfolded of a 737 carrying 195 people which had suffered a bird strike on take off. To relief all round the plane landed safely at Stansted after a tense few hours of dumping fuel.
The thing in common to all these events was that they were manageable hazards. There are no guarantees of absolute safety and the industry is learning from each incident, but what next? Hazard controls are in place. Staff are trained in how to use them. Procedures are in place to bring all these elements together to tackle threats. Where will the increasing safety come from? ClickAirport are working with leading industry bodies to embody skills, equipment and procedures into a framework of Safety Management Systems which take airports to the next level of airfield management. Compliance will be measured over more frequent periods; safety will be assessed in real time with visibility on-demand; processes adjusted against current conditions to maximise safeguarding and the measurement of key performance indicators will be subjected to best practice benchmarks.
Contact us to see how we can help you. info@clickairport.com