Keep Your SAFA/SACA Ratio Low — It Starts with Daily Discipline
- Margrét Hrefna Pétursdóttir
- Jul 4
- 1 min read
Rivets. Fasteners. Placards. They may seem minor, but they’re among the most frequent findings in SAFA/SACA inspections.
And yes, they matter.
Maintaining a low SAFA/SACA ratio is crucial for any operator. It not only protects your compliance record but also your operational reputation, especially during peak summer flying.
What Is the SAFA/SACA Ratio?
The SAFA/SACA ratio is the number of findings per inspection, divided into your number of aircraft for 12 consecutive months. A high ratio draws attention. A low ratio shows mature maintenance, reporting, and operational discipline.
At Glacier Aviation Consulting, we recommend tracking this ratio as a monthly Safety Performance Indicator (SPI).
5 Practical Steps to Lower Your Ratio
To help maintain a strong safety and compliance posture, consider the following actions:
Highlight rivet and fastener checks → Include them explicitly in daily/weekly maintenance checklists.
Empower pilots to report → Encourage thorough and honest use of the Aircraft Journey & Technical Logbook (AJTL) - not only on the home leg.
Use your Compliance Monitoring team → Have them perform Product Audits of Aircraft to spot early issues.
Educate about DMIs → Remember: Deferred Maintenance Items (DMIs) are not SAFA/SACA findings, they're managed and documented.
Track and forecast proactively → Trends in your SAFA/SACA SPI can often be predicted and prevented.
How Glacier Aviation Can Support
At Glacier Aviation Consulting, we help operators across Europe:
Set and calibrate effective SAFA/SACA SPI targets
Forecast changes to inspection trends before they impact operations
Conduct independent aircraft inspections to support internal assurance and readiness
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