Safer skies over Spain

Agencia Estatal de Seguridad Aerea, the Spanish aviation safety and security agency, applied an innovative risk-analysis methodology and decision support system, developed in partnership with the Spanish Royal Academy of Sciences, to improve Spain's national aviation safety. The agency uses several analytics methods to forecast the likelihood and impact of various types of safety occurrences. This enables management to focus attention and resources where they will be most effective. For example, a nonlinear optimization model allocates inspection resources. The result has been a major improvement in aviation safety, which led to reductions in aircraft repairs, maintenance, delays, and expenses. The agency estimated annual savings to be about 800 million euros in equivalent safety costs.