IATA sets out three main priorities for future aviation safety

Another concern is protecting the radio spectrum used for aviation navigation. Expansion of 5G technology in countries such as Australia, Canada, and the United States has led to interference risks near airports. This situation has required costly retrofits for some aircraft systems. IATA calls for stronger coordination with telecommunications regulators and urges realistic timelines for mitigation measures along with improved resilience in onboard systems.

Timely accident investigation reporting also remains an issue. Only 58% of accidents from 2019 to 2023 resulted in final reports under Annex 13 of the Chicago Convention. Delays limit opportunities to learn from incidents while creating space for speculation or misinformation. IATA continues to remind governments about their obligations but acknowledges improvements where preliminary reports were issued quickly after recent accidents in India, South Korea, and the United States.

Data-driven approaches are increasingly important for airline safety efforts. The Turbulence Aware platform now includes participation from airlines such as Air France, Etihad Airways, and SAS; it saw a 25% increase in participating aircraft over the past year with about 3,200 planes sharing real-time turbulence data to improve flight safety.

IATA’s SafetyIS database collects information from 217 airlines worldwide so predictive analysis can identify risks early—for example when there was an increase in collision-avoidance alerts at one Latin American airport.

The risk-based IOSA audit model uses operational data tailored to each airline profile; this process has led to more than 8,000 corrective actions aimed at strengthening industry safety.

Leadership plays an essential role in fostering a strong safety culture within aviation organizations. To support this goal IATA introduced two initiatives: its Safety Leadership Charter—which covers around 90% of world air traffic—and IATA Connect—a digital resource connecting over 5,600 users across more than 600 organizations with access to key documentation on operational safety topics.