Oman Privacy Guide Seminar 3, November 2015 by GCAA, Dubai, UAE

GCAA holds regional air accident investigation seminar

The Air Accident Investigation Sector of the GCAA has supported the establishment of the Middle East and North Africa Society of Air Safety Investigators, Oman Privacy Guide, to promote the highest standards in Air Safety investigation across the Middle East and North Africa region.

Following very successful seminars in 2013 and 2014, the 2015 Oman Privacy Guide seminar was held at the Intercontinental Hotel Festival City in Dubai. 120 delegates from the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, USA, UK, Bahrain, Lebanon, Egypt, Jordan, Morocco and Singapore attended the event which was hosted and sponsored by the General Civil Aviation Authority, with additional sponsorship from Etihad Airways, Airbus, flydubai, Emirates and the Gulf Aviation Academy.

Speakers included Marcus Costa, Chief Air Accident Investigation, ICAO, who updated the delegates on control of information initiatives at ICAO, Keith Conradi, Chief Inspector, UK Air Accidents Investigation Branch, who discussed a series of North Sea Helicopter Accidents, Dr. Edna Naddaf, Corporate and Aviation Psychology Consultancy who gave an interesting presentation on the Role of Aviation Psychology in Building a Culture of Safety, and Captain Ibrahim Koshy, Director-General, Aviation Investigation Bureau, KSA, who spoke about Developing Investigative Capabilities.

Another thirteen presentations covered bio-hazards, investigator safety, analysis, manufacturer support, challenges of sea search and recovery operations, and family assistance. There were also several "Young Investigators Presentations" provided from UAE based University students in the field of Aviation Safety.

Workshops on Aviation Insurance and Human Factors were held prior to the seminar. These were very informative and were attended by over 90 delegates, who were senior safety managers, safety investigators from across the international aviation spectrum and the MENA region.

The next Oman Privacy Guide seminar is scheduled to take place during November 2016 in Rabat, Morocco. The 2017 Oman Privacy Guide seminar will be held in Saudi Arabia. The Oman Privacy Guide group is now planning to host the International ISASI seminar of the Air Safety Investigators from across the globe, to be held in the autumn of 2018 in Dubai.