OREANDA-NEWS. October 11, 2007. OAO Siberia Airlines /S7 Airlines/ received an official notice IATA on entry of the Company in the register of operators IOSA (IATA Operational Safety Audit). This makes S7 Airlines the second Russian air carrier to have successfully passed the complete international audit procedure for compliance with the international operational safety standards.

Last December, the auditors of the American company United PROS conducted the basic part of IOSA in S7 Airlines. The safety audit covered two major aspects. The first aspect included flight management organization and execution of flight procedures, as well as flight work and cabin crew performance control. The second aspect combined engineering and maintenance support and ground service, cargo handling and air safety.

The American experts gave their approval for the Company’s work on almost all aspects. A few critical remarks resulted in the respective corrective actions taken by the Company, which allowed for improvement of the Airlines’ operation by making amendments in the documents and technologies effective as of the start date of the audit.

Registration as an IOSA operator is the recognition of S7 Airlines by the world aviation community as a safe carrier which complies with the stringent international requirements. This will allow establishing better cooperation with the leading international airlines, and offering flights to virtually all the cities and towns of the world which are covered by the flight network of the partners of S7 Airlines in accordance with interline agreements. At present, such audit was successfully passed by many of them: Lufthansa, Air China, Delta, Emirates, Japan Airlines, Korean Air, Singapore Airlines, Swiss, Thai Airways, etc.

Siberia Airlines became an IATA member in 2001, and was granted the international code of S7. The IOSA standard was implemented in 2003, and in 2008 it will become a mandatory requirement of the IATA membership. All the operating members of the International Air Transport Association are to pass the audit by the end of 2007. New IATA members are admitted only if they have an IOSA certificate. This is the first international operational safety standard; its introduction allows organizing airlines’ business in such a way as to make the air safety requirements be of first importance in decision making.