The speech addressed recent tragedies involving civilian aircraft due to conflict zones. Searle referenced incidents such as an Azerbaijan Airlines jet being downed with 38 fatalities and two separate events in Sudan resulting in 25 deaths. He stressed that "civilian aircraft should never face such risks, even by accident."
Ongoing geopolitical instability continues to disrupt airline operations worldwide. The war in Ukraine alone leads to up to 2,000 canceled flights daily and reroutes another 1,500. Conflicts between India and Pakistan have caused over 200 daily diversions at times, while drone incursions in several European countries add further operational strain. Reports of GNSS interference have increased by more than 200% from 2021 to 2024.
Searle explained that even with established procedures and rerouting measures, these disruptions increase costs, emissions, and reduce confidence in air travel connectivity.
He called on industry leaders to focus on "future proofing" aviation safety through leadership expressed in the IATA Safety Leadership Charter—now covering about 90% of global traffic—and through ongoing commitment to global standards and effective use of data.
On global standards, Searle highlighted four priorities: addressing GNSS interference; protecting radio spectrum used for navigation amid expanding telecom demands; ensuring safe carriage of lithium batteries by passengers; and improving accident reporting rates as required under international agreements.
To address GNSS threats specifically, he noted: "Together with EASA, IATA has launched a GNSS Resilience Plan built on four priorities: monitoring and reporting, prevention tools, backup infrastructure, and civil–military coordination." He urged ICAO to advance these solutions into global standards.
Regarding passenger safety around lithium batteries—a common item among travelers—he cited an IATA survey showing confusion about proper handling rules. To address this gap: "We are launching the Travel Smart with Lithium Batteries campaign to raise awareness on the rules that keep everyone safe."
Searle also underscored delays in accident investigation reports: "Only 58% of accidents between 2019 and 2023 have...delivered a final report," emphasizing the need for timely completion as set out by Annex 13 of the Chicago Convention.
Turning to data-driven safety initiatives, Searle described how programs like Global Aviation Data Management (GADM) are transforming risk management through actionable intelligence from millions of data points provided by member airlines. The Turbulence Aware program now includes contributions from Air France, Etihad Airways, SAS Scandinavian Airlines System (SAS), increasing its reach by 25% over the past year.
He encouraged participation in GADM communities such as Flight Data eXchange (FDX), Incident Data eXchange (IDX), Maintenance Cost Data eXchange (MCX), as well as IATA Connect—a network already comprising over 5,600 users from more than 600 organizations—to share insights from various safety programs.
Reporting on outcomes from the recent ICAO Assembly held earlier this month—which sets international aviation standards every three years—Searle said: "In total this year, IATA submitted 14 papers...Some of the highlights include: Accepting our recommendation that data from its two key state audits USOAP...and SSP-IA should feed into the standard-setting process." Other results included support for raising pilot retirement age limits and reaffirmation of timely accident investigations under Annex 13 protocols.
Supply chain challenges were also discussed. Aircraft deliveries dropped significantly in 2024 compared to pre-pandemic levels while backlogs reached record highs. Engine issues have grounded hundreds of planes globally this year alone. The financial impact is expected to exceed $11 billion but Searle warned that stretched fleets could compromise operational safety margins due to delayed maintenance or limited spare parts availability.
To mitigate supply chain risks affecting maintenance operations reliability ("MRO"), IATA introduced tools like MRO SmartHub for real-time visibility into available used aircraft parts on the aftermarket. Additionally, a new report released jointly with Oliver Wyman at WSOC calls for expanded capacity across supply chains along with improved forecasting practices.
Concluding his remarks Searle said: “On behalf of the whole IATA team...I look forward to working with you...to provide leadership needed to improve safety and operations with relevant global standards and power of data.”
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