Chris Bowden, General Manager Group Safety and Quality at HAECO receiving the charter at the IATA World Safety and Operations Conference in Istanbul

HAECO has signed the International Air Transport Association (IATA) Safety Leadership Charter, reaffirming its commitment to strengthening safety culture and embedding safety in leadership decisions and everyday operations.

The Charter sets out eight guiding principles to help aviation industry leaders strengthen safety culture within their organisations. It calls on leaders to demonstrate their commitment to safety through both words and actions; build safety awareness among employees, leadership teams and boards; integrate safety into business strategies, processes and performance measures; and develop the organisational capability to manage risk proactively and achieve shared safety goals. It also emphasises creating an environment of trust in which people feel responsible for safety and are encouraged to report safety-related information; setting clear expectations for acceptable and unacceptable behaviours; reinforcing shared accountability for safety across the organisation; and regularly assessing and improving safety culture.

"A strong safety culture has to reach everyone who touches an aircraft. By signing the IATA Safety Leadership Charter, HAECO is bringing maintenance, repair and overhaul into that commitment and setting an example for organisations beyond the airlines. Safety is stronger when the whole industry is committed to it,” said Mark Searle, IATA's Global Head of Safety.

HAECO recognises the importance of safety leadership in supporting its people, customers and the wider aviation industry. The company views safety culture as a continuous journey, requiring sustained leadership, open dialogue, learning and improvement at every level of the organisation. Signing the Charter builds on a Group-wide programme to move safety management from reactive to proactive and predictive. HAECO’s Safety and Quality Culture Engine enables each operating company to assess its maturity and develop targeted improvement plans across nine areas, including employee empowerment, reporting and feedback, Just Culture, communication and learning.

Richard Sell, Chief Executive Officer of HAECO Group said: “Safety is fundamental to our business and the trust our customers place in us. Signing the IATA Safety Leadership Charter reflects our responsibility to set clear expectations, listen to our people and turn our commitments into meaningful action. We want every colleague to feel confident in speaking up about safety and empowered to act.” 

HAECO has identified 20 projects intended to strengthen and continuously improve a common Group safety culture, with 14 prioritised for delivery in 2026. Together, these projects are designed to enhance safety leadership, risk awareness, employee engagement, reporting and learning across the Group.

This commitment remains central to HAECO’s approach, requiring sustained focus, learning and improvement. The Group will continue to strengthen its use of leading indicators, encourage open reporting and apply lessons learned to identify risks earlier and support more informed safety planning across its operations.

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About HAECO Group

HAECO Group is one of the world’s leading aircraft engineering and maintenance service providers. We provide a comprehensive range of solutions encompassing airframe services, line services, component overhaul, aerostructure repairs, landing gear services, engine services, global engine support, parts manufacturing and technical training. HAECO Group comprises 14 operating companies, employing around 15,000 staff in Hong Kong, Chinese Mainland, Europe and the Americas. Learn more at www.haeco.com or follow us on LinkedIn, X or WeChat for the latest updates.