The deadline for all Kazakh scheduled operators to attain an IOSA (IATA Operational Safety Audit) certificate has passed with only two carriers - SCAT Airlines (DV, Shymkent) and Air Astana (KC, Astana Nursultan Nazarbayev) - currently in compliance with the law.
Since the law's passing in 2013, the Kazakh Civil Aviation Committee (KzCAC) has repeatedly warned local operators of the need to meet the January 1, 2016 deadline or risk being grounded.
The IOSA program is an internationally recognized and accepted evaluation process designed to assess an airline's operational management and control/oversight systems.
According to the ch-aviation airline database, other scheduled operators in the former Soviet republic include Bek Air (BEK, Almaty International), ZhezAir (KZH, Zhezkazgan), and Southern Sky Airlines (IH, Shymkent). Recently established Qazaq Air (IQ, Astana Nursultan Nazarbayev) has been given a two-year grace period to comply with the directive but is understood to have already embarked on its audit.
Local reports now indicate that in light of the lack of general conformity with the law, the KzCAC is considering extending the deadline though no official comment has yet been made.
The move is aimed at encouraging a safety culture among local carriers. At present, all Kazakh carriers, with the exception of Air Astana, have been banned from operating to/from Europe owing to KzCAC's alleged lack of safety oversight.
