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His Excellency Engineer Sultan Bin Saeed Al Mansoori, Minister of Economy and Chairman of GCAA Board and patron of the Line Operation Safety Audit (LOSA) and Threat Error Management (TEM) Conference inaugurates the event organised by the World Food Programme

More than 200 Leading international aviation players to attend the aviation event in Abu Dhabi over the next two days
ABU DHABI- H.E Eng Sultan Bin Saeed Al Mansoori, today opened the two-day Line Operation Safety Audit (LOSA) and Threat Error Management (TEM) Conference organised by the World Food Programme (WFP) in cooperation with the UAE General Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA ).

" It is a great honour and privilege to be to be invited by the World Food Program to give this opening address" he said in his inaugural address.

"I am particularly pleased and honoured to have been invited to open this Conference. I firmly believe it is only through initiatives, such as LOSA and TEM, and the others which will follow that we will achieve our very difficult goal" he added,

H.E Eng Sultan Bin Saeed Al Mansoori declared in his speech that "the Technical improvements, which have significantly improved safety over the last 20 years, have been very impressive - with innovations such as Flight Data Monitoring, Enhanced Ground Proximity Warning systems and Traffic Collision Avoidance Systems to name but a few, But, on the Human side, there have not been such levels of innovation. Crew Resource Management, improvements in training and standardization and, more recently, the introduction of Safety Management Systems are some examples -"

"In my view we have relied too much on finding Technical solutions, at the expense of solving the more difficult issues associated with Human performance" he added,

Aviation experts from across the GCC and Middle East, as well as countries such as the United States, United kingdom, New Zealand, South Africa, Russia, Latvia and Nepal, and delegations from the United Nations, the US Federal Aviation Administration, COSCAP, IFALPA, LOSA Collaborative, Etihad Airways , Emirates Airlines and civil aviation authorities are participating in the conference which will introduce LOSA as a Normal Operations Monitoring tool and identify its practical implementation to different sizes of operators.

LOSA is an analytical tool and a formal process that requires experts and highly trained observers to ride the jump seat during regular scheduled flights in order to collect safety related data such as threats in the airline's operations and design problems in the human-machine interface. The conference targets representatives from all departments of the aviation industry, including operations, training, flight standards, safety departments and pilots. It is an ideal place for attendees to discuss global aviation safety issues with outstanding aviation experts and explore new technologies.

"For those of you who are not familiar with the World Food Programme, WFP is the biggest humanitarian agency in the world fighting hunger worldwide, delivering food and other vital forms of care and relief to mitigate the potential overwhelming loss of life that arise from manmade and natural disasters," said Samir Sajet, Regional Aviation Safety Officer of the World Food Programme.

"The requirement for implementation of new safety tools is a consequence of the growing awareness; therefore the development of new safety tools such as the LOSA is a critical component for any airline's operation oversight and policy development."

Over the last years, and with the support of the GCAA as well as generous donors, the World Food Programme Aviation Safety Unit of the UAE has organised several training sessions for Civil Aviation Authorities and service providers in the UAE as well as remote locations throughout the region.

In its efforts to further aviation safety standards, the world food programme has organised this event free of charge with the support of generous sponsors such as Maximus Air Cargo , Abu Dhabi Aviation , Care by Air, Etihad Airways , Rus Aviation and Iraqee Airways

"Safety is something that can never be underestimated, can never be revisited enough times and should always be firmly at the top of the agenda," said Fathi Buhazza, President and CEO of Maximus Air Cargo and founder of Care by Air. " Maximus Air Cargo is the UAE's largest all cargo operators and with this position comes responsibility - responsibility to lead by example, responsibility to ambassador the cause of safety and responsibility to support our colleagues who champion this. We commend the World Food Programme today and thank them for this invaluable conference and we commend the GCAA for all the measures they are implementing to ensure that the aviation industry in the UAE meets exacting global standards."

"The integrity of the aviation industry in our country is very close to my heart," he added. "My role as the President and CEO of Maximus Air Cargo is to uphold and honour this."

Mr. Mohamed Ibrahim Al Mazroui, Abu Dhabi Aviation General Manager commented: "Aviation Industry experts agree that a less-than-optimum human performance is responsible for the majority of accidents and serious incidents. Any improvements with regard to the management of human error would significantly advance aviation safety."

"With the cooperation and support of the flight crews and managements, LOSA provides an opportunity to better understand the complex interactions taking place in the cockpit and beyond during routine flight operations," he added.

-Ends-

About WFP
The World Food Programme (WFP) is the world's largest humanitarian agency fighting hunger worldwide.

In emergencies, we get food to where it is needed, saving the lives of victims of war, civil conflict and natural disasters. After the cause of an emergency has passed, we use food to help communities rebuild their shattered lives.

WFP is part of the United Nations system and is voluntarily funded.

Born in 1962, WFP pursues a vision of the world in which every man, woman and child has access at all times to the food needed for an active and healthy life. We work towards that vision with our sister UN agencies in Rome -- the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) and the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) -- as well as other government, UN and NGO partners.

In 2010 we aim to reach more than 90 million people with food assistance in 73 countries. Around 10,000 people work for the organisation, most of them in remote areas, directly serving the hungry poor.

WFP's five objectives:

• Save lives and protect livelihoods in emergencies

• Prepare for emergencies

• Restore and rebuild lives after emergencies

• Reduce chronic hunger and undernutrition everywhere

• Strengthen the capacity of countries to reduce hunger

About UAE General Civil Aviation Authority
The UAE General Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA ) was created in 1996 by Federal Cabinet Decree (Law 4) to regulate Civil Aviation and provide designated aviation services with emphasis on safety and security and to strengthen the aviation industry within the UAE and its upper airspace. This autonomous body is the sole authority for the control and regulation of civil aviation in the UAE, having responsibility for the provision of enroute air navigation services and all aspects of flight safety.

Working closely with the individual Emirates' Departments of Civil Aviation, the GCAA has already done much to enhance the quality of service provided to carries and, through them, their customers. GCAA has installed the very latest air traffic control systems, improved the methods by which aeronautical information is disseminated and refined regulatory, inspection investigation and licensing procedures.

About Maximus Air Cargo
Maximus Air Cargo , an Abu Dhabi Aviation Group company, was established in 2005 to provide tailored solutions for moving outsized cargo. After operating for only just over 5 years in the region, it is now a significant regional air cargo carrier and cargo aircraft wet lease operator, employing more than 175 staff and operating a fleet of eight all-cargo Antonov An-124-100, Airbus A300-600RF, Ilyushin IL-76TD, and Lockheed Hercules L382G aircraft across the Middle East, Europe, Africa and Asia.

Maximus currently runs regular scheduled cargo services on behalf of Etihad Crystal Cargo and is the appointed exclusive air relief support partner for the UAE Red Crescent.

About Etihad Airways
Etihad Airways has achieved significant growth since it first took to the skies in November 2003 and it continues to maintain its position as the fastest-growing national airline in the history of aviation.

In the short period of time that Etihad has been in existence, the Abu Dhabi-based airline can look back with pride at its many significant achievements since its entry into the aviation industry including winning the title of "World's Leading Airline" at the 2009 World Travel Awards.

Etihad has continued to expand its fleet of narrow and wide body aircraft whilst at the same time introducing award-winning services to its customers flying to 60 destinations in the Middle East, Africa, Asia, Australia, Europe and North America.

About Rus Aviation
We are pleased to introduce RUS Aviation as one of the most reliable aviation services provider within the UAE and the region.

The rapidly increasing demand for comprehensive air transportation solutions coupled with the never ending passion for customer service saw the birth of RUS Aviation. From its modest beginning in 1999 at Sharjah Airport International Free Zone, RUS Aviation has become a highly professional service provider of the following:

• Air Cargo Charter
• Cargo Consolidation
• Cargo acceptance & Clearing.
• Ground Handling
• Fuel Supply
• Over-Flying & Landing permissions

Through our well-established network and professional contacts worldwide, we can assure you that RUS Aviation will always provide you with the most cost effective solutions. This includes the possibilities of one way prices and split/co-load cargo charters on a wide range of Western & Russian freighters depending on your cargo needs.

Our qualified dedicated teams of aviation experts are available around the clock to ensure immediate and cost effective actions towards all your requirements whenever and wherever they arise. We will do whatever it takes to cater to your ON TIME urgent needs, when time is the most sensitive factor.

We believe in growing together along with our valuable partners, and that is why our main goal is always to create new value added services.

In simple words, we in Rus Aviation will always honor our words and commitments, and provide you with a service, you highly expect from a professional partner in the 21st century.

For more information, please contact:
Leila Tanem
Senior Aviation Safety Assistant
Email: Leila.tanem@wfp.org
Tel: +971(6) 557 4799

© Press Release 2010