Air Seychelles, the national flag carrier for the Indian Ocean island group country, has announced that it has again been certified under the Iata Operational Safety Audit (Iosa). Iata is the International Air Transport Association and is the representative body of the global airline industry. Air Seychelles has been a member of Iata since 2006.

The Iosa is an internationally recognised and respected system, which uses internationally recognised audit principles, to evaluate and assess an airline’s operational control and management systems. It covers eight operational areas, namely aircraft maintenance facilities, flight, cabin and ground operations, cargo, operational control centre, security and compliance and safety.

“Every two years, Air Seychelles as an Iata member undergoes an in-depth audit to verify if the airline is operating in adherence to global industry safety standards,” explained Air Seychelles Management Systems head and Iosa audit lead coordinator Gerard Edmond. “Whilst the Iosa standards are continuously being upgraded and adjusted, I am pleased that every time the audit is conducted, recommended practices addressing any gaps at the initial stage are welcomed and addressed meticulously by the relevant teams, ensuring the airline is continuously conforming to the most challenging industry standards.”

“The safety of our aircraft, passengers and crew, remains our top priority in everything we do, and now having successfully renewed our Iosa certification, I must say that I am indeed very proud of all the teams involved in the audit process for their professionalism and diligence throughout,” highlighted Air Seychelles acting CE Sandy Benoiton. “I also take this opportunity to congratulate all the operational staff members for keeping an exemplary safety record for Air Seychelles and for operating on par with safety standards that are internationally recognised.”

Air Seychelles was established in 1978 and began international operations in 1983. Its current international network links its home base of Mahe with Johannesburg, Mauritius, Mumbai and Tel Aviv. Domestically, it operates scheduled services between Mahe and Praslin and provides charter services across the island group. Last year it was awarded the title of the ‘Indian Ocean’s Leading Airline’ for the second year in a row.