New Delhi. 15 April 2021. Boeing announced that it facilitated a Safety Management System (SMS) training program for India’s aviation stakeholders in partnership with Indian Aviation Academy (IAA) and the University of Southern California (USC), Viterbi School of Engineering. This is a first of a series of trainings that Boeing plans to organize for India’s aviation ecosystem towards continued learning of best practices.

Commercial aircraft operators, airports and air traffic services are required to have a Safety Management System (SMS), which is considered a best practice to provide a framework for hazard identification, risk mitigation and promotion of a positive safety culture. The International Civil Aviation Organization established the standards and recommended practices for a SMS in Annex 19. Boeing is adopting these practices as it implements an enterprise SMS to support its commitment to the highest levels of safety and quality with its products and services.

“As part of our continued commitment to safety, we are collaborating with India’s civil aviation stakeholders to promote a collaborative safety culture,” said Salil Gupte, president, Boeing India. “We’re pleased to partner with IAA and USC to introduce the Safety Management System program to India.”

The USC-IAA program for India’s civil aviation authorities focused on modern safety management and safety assurance concepts such as risk management, root cause analysis, audits, data collection and incident investigations to further enhance the safety, efficiency, and reliability of the Indian aviation ecosystem.

“Safety first should be the mainstay of aviation; not just in words, but to live by them. True safety will be through training like this one and by implementing lessons learnt into action. There is no simple solution out there waiting to be discovered – but training and action,” said Hareendranathan E.P, Executive Director, Indian Aviation Academy.

“The introduction of SMS is the most significant development of aviation safety of the decade. It applies to all major operational aviation entities and draws upon the power of communication and data to identify potentially hazardous situations,” said Thomas R. Anthony, director of USC’s Aviation Safety and Security Program. “This course takes the principles of SMS and extends them into practical and advanced application by all areas of civil aviation in India.”