It was announced in St Petersburg that the International Air Transport Association (IATA), the Joint Inspection Group (JIG), and Airlines for America (A4A) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the intention of strengthening and promoting quality assurance and safety in global aviation fueling processes.
The signing of the MOU is intended to help promote a gradual standardization of aviation fuel processes through the facilitating of compliance with present industry standards and best practices, together with the establishment of high-quality common inspection processes which will ensure that fuel is delivered clean, dry, and on-specification. It is hoped this will reduce the number of required inspections at any one location, increase the scope of coverage on a global basis, as well as a reduction in costs.
One of the principal goals for the aviation industry is the alignment of standards and best practices across different regions. IATA, JIG and A4A have agreed to work together to eliminate regional variations in this regard.
โMaintaining the quality of the aviation fuel supply and the supporting infrastructure and operations is vital to the safe and efficient functioning of the air transport industry. This MoU, covering all airport fuel storage and handling, puts forward an industry-level program for application of standards and a single global reference for airline inspections. This is a great step forward in further promoting global safety and efficiency,โ said IATAโs Director for Global Airport Infrastructure and Fuel, Hemant Mistry.
โJIGโs vision is to work with industry partners to establish and enhance standards for the safe handling and quality control of aviation fuels globally. By partnering with IATA and A4A we will be able to more effectively support the industry by strengthening the implementation of our standards and providing a framework for the development of an industry Quality Assurance Scheme. This will form the foundation of a global inspection process that is supported by airlines,โ commented the Chairman of the JIG Council, John Buxton.
Amy Carico, Director Fuel Services and Technical Standards, A4A said that: โA4A is committed to ensuring that the quality of its membersโ fuel is safeguarded throughout the supply chainโfrom the refinery to when it is delivered into the aircraft. The MoU with IATA and JIG will help achieve this. We are delighted to be expanding our partnerships in this area and work towards eliminating regional variations in standards in fueling.โ