Vietnam aviation safety index higher than global average

The global aviation safety inspection team has rated Vietnam's aviation safety index at 77%, well above the global average of 68%.

The global aviation safety inspection team has rated Vietnam's aviation safety index at 77%, well above the global average of 68%.

Between May 15 and 27 a team from the Universal Safety Oversight Audit Program of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) assessed Vietnamese safety capabilities and conducted onsite inspections at Tan Son Nhat and Noi Bai airports in HCMC and Hanoi.

Preliminary results show an Effective Implementation (EI) index of 77%, an increase of 11 percentage points from the previous inspection conducted in 2016.

The ICAO Runway Safety Program evaluates airport safety based on flight and aircraft operations, accidents and incident investigation, air traffic management, and ground support equipment.

Vietnam is among the countries with an EI index higher than the Asia-Pacific average of 65% and global average of 68%.

In preparation for the inspection program, a representative of the state-owned Airports Corporation of Vietnam (ACV), which manages all commercial airlines in Vietnam, said a working group had been established to review existing issues and implement new ICAO standard requirements.

ACV has developed an aircraft model for rescue and firefighting drills, prepared a rescue and firefighting plan for aircraft in complex terrain and invested in rescue equipment to remove immobilized aircraft.