8 Mar 2022

Copied, with permission, from Airways 'Value Awards 2021' Announcement 

Safety is our number one priority at Airways and everyone has a role to play in creating a safe environment for our people, customers and the community.

The Safety First Award recognises someone who has demonstrably improved safety through innovation or improvement, and who lives the safety values.

In his work with New Southern Sky (NSS) and the CAA, James Black has contributed not only to Airways but the wider aviation sector. James was seconded for nine months to coordinate delivery of the Performance Based Navigation (PBN) Regulatory Framework. This included education and guidance activities for CAA and external stakeholders; co-ordination of the NSS Satellite Based Augmentation System (SBAS) Sub-Group; and task manager for a trial to monitor GPS interference at our largest airports.

James showed a real commitment to understanding the key delivery enablers, risks and issues of the projects and set about building strong working relationships and robust foundations for the projects to ensure the work was able to move forward. James was recognised for his ability to confidently and effectively advise and educate on the technical aspects of each project in a way that was both engaging and informative.

Throughout the project, James took individual accountability, accepted responsibility and used sound judgement for his own actions in contributing to the overall outcome. His integrity, proactivity and collaborative approach was recognised by both the CAA and NSS.

James was an outstanding ambassador for Aeropath and Airways by progressing important continuous improvement initiatives to improve safety in conjunction with the CAA. The success of the secondment was down to James’ personal commitment, professionalism and expertise.

Congratulations James and thank you for your continuing commitment to safety across the entire industry.