Brazil becomes the 4th country to go through ICAO’s new operational safety program

Between May 17 and 29, the National Civil Aviation Agency (ANAC) participated in the International Civil Aviation Organization’s (ICAO) new quality program, the State Safety Programme Implementation Assessment (SSPIA). Brazil is now the fourth country in the world to undergo the assessment, previously carried out in Singapore, Italy and the United Kingdom.  

The SSPIA is a performance-based model that aims to measure the maturity level of the State Program for Civil Aviation Safety (PSO). The activity was conducted at ANAC’s headquarters in Brasilia (DF), by three auditors and one observer. The group examined in detail the evidence related to four of the eight themes of the program: general aspects (GEN), operational safety data analysis (SDA), aircraft operations (OPS) and aircraft airworthiness (AIR).

The work was followed up by several staff members, four of them designated as counterparts. The mission also had the participation of military authorities from the Aeronautics Command, responsible for providing evidence for some of the issues examined. The evaluation also included the collection of data from the regulated companies, with the presence of representatives from an airline and a maintenance workshop.

The mission’s chief auditor, Ariel Weiss, recognized the effort of all involved in providing the necessary information for the success of the assessment. “It was a very positive experience. The collaboration of all involved was spectacular and exceeded expectations, which are high. The future of aviation in Brazil is promising,” he said.

The report should be sent by ICAO to Brazil within 90 days, when a 45-day period for appeals will open. The results will help guide the next steps in the implementation of the OSP in Brazil. “We can't improve operational safety without collaboration. An example is when the regulated parties send us their reports, thus we can prevent accidents and mitigate risks, without a punitive character,” said the head of ANAC’s Safety Office, Bernardo Tomaz de Castro.