FAA Mandates Safety Management Systems for Charter Airlines and Manufacturers

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) announced on Monday its plans to implement new regulations mandating the use of Safety Management Systems (SMS) by charter, commuter, air tour operators, and aircraft manufacturers. This move aims to enhance safety measures and reduce accidents within the aviation industry.

SMS comprises a comprehensive set of policies and procedures designed to proactively identify and address potential operational hazards. FAA Administrator Mike Whitaker emphasized the importance of this proactive approach, stating that it will help prevent accidents and ultimately save lives.

While U.S. airlines have been required to adopt SMS since 2018, the FAA’s final rule extends the mandate to encompass charter airlines and aircraft manufacturers. This expansion follows a directive from Congress in 2020, which instructed the FAA to implement SMS for manufacturers as part of broader certification reform efforts prompted by the Boeing 737 MAX crashes.

The recent incident involving a mid-air cabin panel blowout on a new Alaska Airlines Boeing 737 MAX 9 plane has underscored the urgency of bolstering safety management practices. In response, the FAA restricted Boeing from increasing 737 MAX production and instructed the company to address systemic quality-control issues promptly.

SMS systems consist of four key components: safety policy, safety risk management, safety assurance, and safety promotion. Major airports were mandated to adopt SMS programs by the FAA in 2023 following extensive study.

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has been a vocal advocate for the widespread adoption of SMS across all revenue passenger-carrying aviation operations. The NTSB emphasized the critical need for effective safety management systems, citing incidents such as the 2020 helicopter crash that claimed the lives of NBA star Kobe Bryant, his daughter, and seven others. In its report, the NTSB highlighted the operator’s incomplete implementation of its SMS and stressed the potential benefits of a mandatory SMS requirement.

The FAA’s decision to extend SMS requirements to charter airlines and manufacturers reflects a proactive approach to enhancing aviation safety and mitigating risks within the industry.

Sources: AirGuide Business airguide.info, bing.com, finance.yahoo.com