Story ID: 800_Comlux safety.doc
Comlux Lands Several Safety Awards
By: David Donald
Caption: EBAA’s Silver safety award has been bestowed on Comlux as the company’s Kazakhstan branch becomes the first to become ISSA-registered.
Word Count: 381
With 70,000 flight hours of accident-free operations behind it, Comlux The Aviation Group is receiving the Silver Safety of Flight award from the European Business Aviation Association (EBAA) here at the EBACE show in Geneva. The award recognizes either 70,000 hours or 30 years of accident-free operations, with Fly Comlux achieving the flight-time figure in just 12 years.
  
EBAA’s award is the latest significant event for Comlux in the safety sector. In October last year the company implemented a safety management system, and in March this year Comlux Malta was registered with the International Standard for Business Aircraft Operations (IS-BAO). 
  
Earlier this month the company’s Central Asia branch, Comlux KZ based in Almaty, Kazakhstan, become the first operator in the world to be registered with the IATA Standard Safety Assessment (ISSA). This program extends the benefits of the IATA Operational Safety Audit (IOSA) to commercial operators who do not operate under an IATA audit registry. 
  
“IOSA has helped about 400 airlines worldwide to improve their operational safety performance and to reduce the number of redundant audits in the industry,” explained Jordan Karamalakov, IATA’s regional manger in Kazakhstan. “However, there are hundreds of operators that operate aircraft under the 5,700 kg threshold, or their business model does not allow conformity with other IOSA requirements.” ISSA was launched to redress this shortfall.
  
“The fact that Comlux KZ is the first airline in the world to receive ISSA registration is very important to the airline industry of Kazakhstan,” continued Karamalakov. “By this Comlux KZ has demonstrated that any carrier in Kazakhstan can be prepared for a robust audit and ready to prove conformance with internationally recognized safety standards.”
  
Fly Comlux CEO Andrea Zanetto told AIN that the company’s safety culture starts at the top with its main shareholder being a committed aviation enthusiast. “We recognize the value of safety to the company and it has become standard behavior for us, and our customers like it this way,” he commented.
  
According to Zanetto, the operator, which has a fleet of around 20 aircraft, has seen an uptick in charter activity since January. He said that the Middle East market has been recovering well lately and there has also been significant growth in African demand.