St Petersburg -The International Air Transport Association (IATA), theJoint Inspection Group (JIG), andAirlines for America (A4A)signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to strengthen and promote Safety and Quality Assurance in global aviation fueling activities.

"Maintaining the quality of the aviation fuel supply and the supporting infrastructure and operations is vital to the safe and efficient functioning of the air transport industry. This MoU, covering all airport fuel storage and handling, puts forward an industry-level program for application of standards and a single global reference for airline inspections. This is a great step forward in further promoting global safety and efficiency," said Hemant Mistry, IATA’s Director for Global Airport Infrastructure and Fuel.

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Through the program IATA,JIGandA4Awill seek to encourage the gradual standardization of aviation fuel processes by facilitating compliance with current industry standards and best practices, and by establishing high quality common inspection processes to ensure that the aviation fuel is delivered clean, dry and on-specification. This is expected to facilitate a reduction in the number of required inspections at a given location, while increasing the scope of coverage across the globe and the reduction of cost.

"JIG’s vision is to work with industry partners to establish and enhance standards for the safe handling and quality control of aviation fuels globally. By partnering with IATA and A4A we will be able to more effectively support the industry by strengthening the implementation of our standards and providing a framework for the development of an industry Quality Assurance Scheme. This will form the foundation of a global inspection process that is supported by airlines," said John Buxton, Chairman of the JIG Council.

A key goal for the aviation industry is alignment of standards and best practices across different regions. The three organizations have agreed to work together to eliminate regional variations in this regard.

"A4A is committed to ensuring that the quality of its members’ fuel is safeguarded throughout the supply chain—from the refinery to when it is delivered into the aircraft. The MoU with IATA and JIG will help achieve this. We are delighted to be expanding our partnerships in this area and work towards eliminating regional variations in standards in fueling," said Amy Carico, Director Fuel Services and Technical Standards, A4A.

"I’m very pleased the three main stakeholders have been able to reach this landmark agreement. It will help ensure the industry maintains sufficient expert resource. The fact that all parties agree to participate in each other’s relevant committees, and to work on joint training and technical assistance, can only strengthen the industry," said Thorsten Lange, Lufthansa’s Director of Fuel Purchasing, and Chairman of IATA’s Commercial Fuel Group.

"This cooperation between the three major aviation parties is showing the right way forward for airlines and suppliers, which will greatly help coordinate global inspections programs of both JIG and theIATA Fuel Quality Pool," said Michel Baljet, IATA’s Head of Fuel Services.

For more information about IATA’s work in the area of jet fuel management please visithere.