Martinair, the all-cargo subsidiary of KLM, used to spend about nine months preparing for IOSA audits. Since moving their flight operations documentation to Web Manuals, IOSA audit preparation takes two to three months, and some audit items take half the time they used to.
Pieter den Boer has worked at Martinair for more than 37 years and is their Web Manuals administrator. In the video above, he explains what changed.
IOSA audit preparation used to take nine months
Martinair has been through IOSA audits since 2009, first as a passenger and cargo airline and, after 2011, as an all-cargo operator. At first, the team tracked IOSA compliance in Word and Excel files. Nothing connected those checks to the manuals themselves, so every audit meant working out by hand what had changed.
“It was always three quarters of a year in preparation for IOSA. It took a lot of time, a lot of effort and a lot of personnel to get the preparation straight,” says Pieter den Boer.
The last month before each audit was the most stressful, with departments having to double-check with each other that nothing had been missed.
How IOSA compliance monitoring keeps Martinair audit-ready
Web Manuals implements each IOSA update in the platform through their IOSA compliance library. Martinair can see what changed, check their documentation against the new requirements whenever they need to, and update the links between each requirement and the manual sections that cover it. Preparation now takes two to three months, a bit longer when a new revision comes out. Once the changes are made, the team goes into the audit relaxed.
“For some items we needed a day in the old system, and now it could be halved in time. So that is a big win, says Pieter.”
The same applies to EASA requirements. Web Manuals delivers the regulatory updates, and Martinair adjusts their manuals as they come in. In Pieter’s words, “you’re practically in continuous compliance.”
Today, Martinair uses Web Manuals to write and publish its flight operations manuals in one standard template, monitor compliance with IOSA and EASA requirements, and keep linked content consistent across manuals.
One template for every manual
Before Web Manuals, each editor worked in Word with their own templates, styles and fonts. Text was sometimes made smaller to fit a page, which broke the layout at the next revision. Writing in Web Manuals gives every editor the same template and a limited set of styles.
“There are styles and there are fonts, but they’re limited, so nobody can mess around with the system,” Pieter explains.
Every manual now has the same layout, so users know how to find the information they need. Linked content keeps the text consistent across documents, for example between the Operations Manual Part A (OM-A) and the ground handling manual. Pieter sees that consistency as a safety gain, and it supports Martinair in audits by EASA and the Dutch authorities.
Cargo operations that shouldn’t wait for paperwork
Martinair flies scheduled cargo, such as fresh flowers from Africa to Europe, along with livestock and special charters. When it flies Formula One cars and equipment, the manuals sometimes need a temporary change. In Web Manuals, that takes about five minutes, so documentation is never what holds a flight back. Updates that once went out to crews on CDs and DVDs now reach pilots’ iPads over Wi-Fi.
“Without good and proper documentation, there is no aviation.”
How long does IOSA audit preparation take?
It depends on the airline and how its documentation is managed. Martinair used to spend about nine months preparing for each audit. With IOSA requirements and updates managed in Web Manuals, it now takes two to three months, a little longer when a new revision comes out.
How can an airline prepare for an IOSA audit faster?
Martinair’s experience points to two things. Keep the current IOSA Standards Manual requirements in the same system as your manuals. Link each requirement to the manual sections that cover it.
Does IOSA apply to cargo airlines?
Yes. All-cargo operators such as Martinair go through IOSA too. Martinair has done IOSA audits since 2009, and as an all-cargo airline it no longer needs to cover the cabin operations requirements.
How does Web Manuals support IOSA documentation?
Web Manuals’ IOSA compliance libraries keep requirements up to date in the platform for flight operations, maintenance and ground operations and cabin and cargo. You can link each requirement to your manuals, see what changed in each revision and check your documentation against it.