IATA Director General and CEO Giovanni Bisignani told the 'Wings of Change' conference on April 1st in a keynote address that, while the accident rate in Latin America has fallen from one accident for every 400,000 flights in 2005 to one accident for every 600,000 flights in 2007, it still remains double the global average.

So far, only five Latin American governments - Brazil, Chile, Costa Rica, Mexico and Panama - have committed to incorporate the IATA Operational Safety Audit (IOSA) into their respective national safety oversight programmes.

IOSA is the global standard for aviation safety management. It is a membership requirement for IATA members, but is available to all airlines. According to IATA, there are currently 20 Latin American airlines on the IOSA registry, with eight more in the quality control process.

“IOSA is fully funded by IATA for our members and it is free for any government to use. There are no more excuses for anyone in the industry that is not participating in the IOSA programme."

In the address to aviation leaders, Bisignani called for immediate action to reverse a dangerous trend of diverging safety regulations across individual countries in the region. IATA has noted more than 250 safety deficiencies with regard to ICAO standards in Latin America.

“This is unacceptable and must be improved immediately. Cooperation and a broader view based on global standards are necessary to address unique infrastructure challenges and upgrade the ageing and insufficient air traffic control technology. Safety knows no borders and safety regulation must converge again,” Bisignani observed.