The Airline Association of Southern Africa (AASA) is co-operating with the International Air Transport Association (Iata) to try to standardise the approach to aviation safety in the Southern African Development Community (Sadc) region.Kamil Alawadhi, Iata’s regional vice-president for Africa and the Middle East, said Iata has singled out the Sadc region to launch a safety initiative for aviation logistics on the continent.“Of all the regions in Africa, we find the Sadc countries work closer together on standardising safety for all of them, including safety inspections at airports. Blueprints for implementation are currently with Iata experts, and we could make progress quickly,” he said on Saturday at Iata’s 82nd annual general meeting & World Air Transport Summit (WATS), hosted by the Latam Airlines Group in Rio de Janeiro. IATA represents more than 370 airlines accounting for some 85% of global air traffic.During the event from June 6-8, about 1,500 aviation and government leaders will discuss critical issues surrounding the industry. The programme tackles aviation’s most pressing global issues, including securing airspace to accommodate growth as conflicts proliferate; trade, tariffs, and the role of air cargo; and whether AI is living up to its promises for airlines.Safety and affordabilityDespite the historically resilient nature of the aviation industry, it is operating in an increasingly challenging geopolitical environment, and Africa is no exception, according to Alawadhi. At the same time, he believes aviation in Africa has untapped potential and the industry should focus on improving safety and making air travel more affordable.Though the aviation accident rate in Africa has improved, it still lags the rest of the world, and more action is needed from government agencies to improve the situation, he said. At the same time, African airlines have to deal with thin margins, affected by high charges and costs, including for maintenance and fuel.“Across Africa momentum is building [to tackle these issues] but in my opinion it is still not fast enough and not good enough. It is about collaboration between the relevant stakeholders and understanding the value of aviation,” he said. “Government policy support is essential to unlock the potential of aviation in Africa.”His views are echoed by Aaron Munetsi, CEO of AASA, who told Business Day on the sidelines of the event that AASA is working closely with IATA to address aviation safety in the Sadc region.“Remember, another element of aviation safety is having safety on the ground, for example, in airport operations and ground handling. We need to make sure it is all at the same level in our region,” said Munetsi. “That is why AASA and IATA are doing these audits to see what to improve and how, and taking the further step of then going on to actual implementation. We are doing it country by country and have started in South Africa.”