The People at the Core
Over the last few years I've had the privilege of attending various aviation conferences. They provide great space to exchange ideas, benchmark on progressive industry trends as well as present a chance to network with industry peers and titans alike.
One conference in particular resonated quite deeply with me because of a certain presentation by someone within the top leadership at a major carrier.
He spoke of how he took members of staff from various departments at his airline, including the areas that were not customer facing/ frontline, to the airport arrival terminal to watch passengers coming down the escalators, having arrived at their destination.
The staff got to witness the emotional moments when long-lost friends reunited, children embracing their parents who had just arrived from a long trip, family members crying tears of absolute joy at the site of their loved ones and crew members going home after a successful day at work.
He spoke of how they all played an important role in this situation they were witnessing.
Aviation has evolved from the era of the Wright brothers with their experimental aeroplanes to now flying thousands of passengers daily in these behemoths of the sky.
The success of this industry is anchored on the ability to keep passengers safe on ground and in the air.
This is dependent on all the functions within the aviation ecosystem.
From the personnel at the airport that ensure there's no threat to aviation security, the staff at the check-in counters that ensure the passengers' and their bags are routed correctly, the cabin groomers that clean and tidy the aircraft, the baggage loaders that ensure bags arrive at their destinations, the ground staff that coordinate the aircraft turnaround processes, the engineers that ensure the aircraft release is done procedurally, the air traffic controllers that safely assist aircraft navigate the skies, the cabin crew that ensure the safety of the passengers on board the aircraft to the pilots who perform their duties to safely fly these mammoth machines.
Everyone involved in these processes plays an important role, including the ancillary sections that may not have been mentioned.
In light of the recent increase in incidents, it is worth remembering that safety is the number one priority of the aviation industry. We cannot afford to have passengers lose trust in our ability to keep them safe.
This is why there should be a collective push by regulators, airlines, manufacturers, maintenance organisations, ground handling agents and all other parties involved, to enhance the safety culture within the industry.
This can begin by simply reminding staff on how they play a pivotal role in ensuring passengers make it to their destinations safely.
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Esleen Muniale. Contributor
Esleen Muniale is an aircraft engineer by training, having worked in various roles over the years from aircraft maintenance, quality assurance to safety. She started her career in 2010 as a trainee at an airline in Asia and has since worked in bot...