CAAS, FAA AND IATA sign milestone tripartite agreement to enhance data analytics capabilities
The Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore (CAAS), United States Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), and International Air Transport Association (IATA) have signed a Collaborative Arrangement (CA) to further develop data analytics capabilities to improve aviation safety. The CA was signed on the sidelines of Singapore Airshow 2020 by CAAS Director-General, Mr Kevin Shum, FAA Administrator, Mr Steve Dickson, and IATA Regional Vice President, Asia Pacific, Mr Conrad Clifford.
The tripartite collaboration recognises CAAS, FAA and IATA’s shared interest in exploring the uses and effectiveness of predictive data analytics in analysing safety data. The results of this collaboration could help facilitate the identification of precursors to high- risk incidents using data from normal flight operations. This could shape the formulation and implementation of safety enhancement initiatives and international standards for predictive safety risk management. It may also lead to subsequent projects that would enable these organisations to pool resources and share predictive models and data science capabilities.
The collaboration will align closely with the research and development work done by the Global Safety Predictive Analytics Research Center (SPARC)1. SPARC utilises predictive analytics to identify potential aviation safety hazards and assess related risks by leveraging the research capabilities in Singapore, as well as operational flight data and safety information that are available under IATA’s Global Aviation Data Management (GADM) initiative2. End users across the aviation community can then work collaboratively to address and implement appropriate safety measures to mitigate the risks, or prevent the occurrence of safety hazards.
Kevin Shum, Director-General of CAAS, said, “We have strong partnerships with the FAA and IATA, with a common goal to continually enhance aviation safety globally. I am pleased that we have been able to build on these partnerships to enter into this significant tripartite collaboration. It will contribute to making air travel safer for airlines and passengers.”
FAA Administrator Steve Dickson said, “Collaboration is the only way to advance safety to the next level. This arrangement will enable safety professionals from CAAS, FAA and IATA to pioneer advanced analytical capabilities to identify emerging risks in the large volumes of safety data we collect.”
Conrad Clifford, Regional Vice President, Asia Pacific, IATA said, “The use of predictive analytics will enhance aviation safety. Instead of analysing the causes and contributing factors associated with the low number of incidents/accidents, we will be looking at a data-driven analysis from the millions of safe flights operated each year. That is the way forward for improving aviation safety and we are delighted to work with the CAAS and FAA on developing the industry’s capabilities for doing so.”