Czech Airlines Technics has implemented safety management system

Czech Airlines Technics (CSAT), a daughter company of the Czech Aeroholding Group providing aircraft repair and maintenance services, has decided to voluntarily implement a Safety Management System (SMS). The existing legislation governing aircraft maintenance providers in Europe[1] does not deem the SMS features implementation mandatory. CSAT management has decided to support the voluntary implementation to increase the level of operational safety in the company and to comply with the growing requirements of its customers on safety. Subsequently, operational conditions and the company’s position on the market will also increase. SMS features have gradually been incorporated in the company operations since 2016.

A Safety Management System is a set of processes for operational safety management which has been introduced across the company in turns. The main SMS goal is to continue improving the operational safety and set processes in a way to help prevent extraordinary events both during aircraft maintenance and in aviation in general.

“Czech Airlines Technics management can fully appreciate the importance of operational safety. The implementation of the Safety Management System will become yet another advantage we have over our competitors on the market. Our Safety Department has our maximum support upon implementation of new and improvements of the existing safety processes,” Pavel Hales, Chairman of the Czech Airlines Technics Board of Directors, said.   

In 2016 and 2017, formal preparatory steps for SMS implementation at CSAT took place. First SMS features were implemented in both existing and new company processes to ensure that the major part of the work was finished by the end of 2017. CSAT employees, namely all technicians, team leaders and company management, were trained in turns in SMS principles and related responsibilities.

“It is an extensive and demanding process to implement a Safety Management System in a large organization, which can take up to several years. The advantage of a voluntary implementation has been a positive and pro-active approach across the company. We want it to work. Therefore, we use all efforts and resources to ensure that SMS is used on a daily basis as a tool for improving the level of safety and promoting the corporate culture of safety. Our main goal is to see positive results as early as at the end of 2018,” Katarina Szentkeresztiova, Czech Airlines Technics Safety Manager, commented.  

Despite the fact that it was a voluntary implementation of Safety Management System, effective 1 January 2018, all SMS processes are mandatory, and compliance thereto will be regularly checked.

“Towards the end of last year, Prague Airport[2] safety auditors performed the first SMS audit at CSAT. The audit conclusions have confirmed that the implementation process has significantly advanced and that the SMS processes have been set with due care, in a responsible and professional manner thanks to the high-quality work of our employees involved in the set-up process,” Ms Szentkeresztiova added.

As of this year, the CSAT Safety Management System will be subject to yearly internal audits in line with the ICAO[3] requirements to ensure all set processes are constantly improved. 

[1] EU Directive No. 1321/2014, Part - 145

[2] Prague Airport and Czech Airlines Technics are both daughter companies of the Czech Aeroholding Group.

[3] International Civil Aviation Organization