Flight Safety

Flight safety, Air France’s number one priority  

Flight safety, which is the basis of the contract between airlines and their customers, is a priority for any airline and, as such, is subject to many controls and certifications. Air France fully satisfies extremely strict norms including the highest standards in the air transport industry: on a global scale, with IATA (International Air Transport Association, whose safety audit IOSA is a sector reference) or on a European scale with AESA (European Aviation Safety Agency).

Air France’s ambition in terms of flight safety is not only to comply with high standards, but to place flight safety at the highest possible level of industry standards.  

To this end, Air France has initiated a thorough safety assessment of its operations by way of the following bodies: 

• an Independent Safety Review, comprising international independent experts,
• the Trajectoire programme made up of professionals dedicated to implementing the best ideas and proposals, 
• a Joint Proposals Committee bringing together the unions.  

Moreover, a Flight Safety Committee has been set up within the Board of Directors to also study these issues.

Independent Safety Review  

In December 2009, Air France set up a flight safety independent safety review. Made up of eight acknowledged independent experts of international standing chosen to combine French and Anglo-Saxon mindsets, the Review team in a totally transparent and independent manner looked into all the internal operating modes, decision-making processes and practices that might have an impact on flight safety, by combining a systematic viewpoint on safety with practical experience in running operations at airlines comparable in size to Air France.

On this basis following an inquiry that ran throughout 2010, the experts submitted 35 recommendations in January 2011 that will serve to help the airline pursue its ongoing flight safety improvement process.

Further: Independent Safety Review 

Trajectoire 

Trajectoire is a two-year project with three missions:

• propose and study initiatives designed to improve flight safety, 
• accompany the implementation of recommendations submitted by the independent safety review, 
• coordinate the Joint Proposals Committee.

Joint Proposals Committee  

The joint proposals committee brings together representatives of Air France management and two representatives from the different pilots’ professional organizations. The aim of the committee is to discuss safety measures and validate the proposals submitted by the independent safety review. It studies the Trajectoire group and unions’ proposals and may be required to participate in working groups on specific subjects. The committee can also request the opinion of experts according to the subject under discussion.

Flight Safety Committee within the Board of Directors  

Within the Air France Board of Directors, a flight safety committee has been set up comprising 7 members of the Board designated by the latter, with the following mission:

• study flight safety issues,
• guarantee the existence, deployment and management of internal systems and processes implemented to ensure flight safety
• provide follow-up to ensure the suitability of the internal processes that come together to ensure the safety of operations
• and, in the event of major events affecting flight safety, to ensure that appropriate action is taken to prevent accidents.