FLYADEAL EARNS INDUSTRY’S HIGHEST SAFETY RECOGNITION

IATA Operational Safety Audit (IOSA) Awarded Following Intensive Audit

Accreditation Paves Way For Saudi Arabia’s Leading Low-Cost Airline To Become Member Of Global Industry Body IATA

27 November 2024

Jeddah, KINGDOM OF SAUDI ARABIA – flyadeal has been awarded IATA’s Operational Safety Audit (IOSA), the airline industry’s highest safety accreditation following a comprehensive audit.

The endorsement by the International Air Transport Association (IATA) paves the way? for Saudi Arabia’s youngest and region’s fastest growing low-cost airline to become a member of IATA, aviation’s leading industry body that represents most of the world’s passenger and cargo air service providers.

The IOSA standards are based on everything that contributes to an airline’s operational safety ensuring compliance to the most stringent of rules and practices governing aviation safety. These include aircraft engineering, maintenance, flight operations, inflight cabin services, ground handling, cargo and security.

Steven Greenway, flyadeal Chief Executive Officer, said: “flyadeal’s number one priority is operational safety. We pride ourselves on being a safe, young and reliable airline that is growing at pace with incredible expansion. Having reached scale and in line with our strategic plans, membership of IATA was inevitable for which IOSA accreditation was a prerequisite.”

Captain Abdulaziz Bahri, flyadeal Chief Operating Officer, added: “The tremendous dedication of teams across flyadeal to ensure operational excellence is commendable.

Led by Ghassan Alkashgari, flyadeal's Director of Safety and Quality, we provided IATA’s auditors with full support throughout the verification process to meet IOSA’s mandatory requirements. This has resulted in another successful endorsement and testament to our already high standard safety policies, procedures and protocols.”

Being only seven years old, flyadeal already adopts strict safety standards conforming to criteria set by the General Authority of Civil Aviation (GACA) in Saudi Arabia, the Kingdom’s principle aviation regulator, as well as authorities in countries where the airline operates and is set to fly to.

IATA represents more than 320 airlines constituting 81 per cent of total global air traffic. It provides a unified voice supporting members with lobbying governments and regulators on industry issues. The organisation also sets global operational standards for airlines, the wider value chain and consumers to connect safely, securely, sustainably and efficiently.

Launched in 2017 as the low-cost subsidiary of national carrier Saudia, flyadeal operates from three main bases of Riyadh, Jeddah and Dammam. The airline serves almost 30 year-round and seasonal destinations across Saudi Arabia and selected Middle East, European and North African cities with a modern fleet of 36 Airbus A320 aircraft. From early 2025, flying options will increase significantly as the airline embarks on a major international expansion drive.