Middle East & North Africa Helicopter Safety Team Meeting

Feb. 20, 2012 - PRLog -- The MENA HST quarterly meeting was held at Rocco Forte Hotel in Abu Dhabi Feb 7th 2011 through the generous support or Prestige Jets of Abu Dhabi. The meeting started by highlighting that all MENA-HST operators had agreed on the principle of implementing the Safety Management System (SMS) as part of their larger State Safety Program by the end of 2012, moreover emphasized on the five risks identified during the initial helicopter pilot surveys completed in 2009, and underlined the efforts to mitigate these risks.
An initiative of creating an up to date list of MENA-HST operators has been adopted which is to be circulated around all members of the team, additionally strategic plans and schemes has been suggested to bring valuable deliverables to the helicopter community at large, moreover it was suggested that MENA-HST to attend the Helicopter Operators Operations Committee (HOOC) forum to exchange ideas and best practices in the UAE.
The air proximity and/or mid air collision are major factors that affect the aviation industry. The call for better collision avoidance equipment is a crucial which could be a mandate in affect by 2014 as it would greatly enhance safety in the Gulf region.
As an avid supporter for the MENA-HST since its beginning, Capt. Samir Sajet the Regional Aviation Safety Officer – World Food Programme, has been unanimously elected to be the chairman of the team. Capt. Samir offered numerous imperative trainings, workshops and other courses that are to be held under the umbrella of the MENA-HST at a Free of Charge rate.
The team has agreed on all the objectives and will reconvene to follow up on the discussed topics in May 2012.

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The World Food Programme (WFP) is the world's largest humanitarian agency fighting hunger worldwide. In emergencies, we get food to where it is needed, saving the lives of victims of war, civil conflict and natural disasters.