Flight Operational Quality Assurance (FOQA) Program

Flight Operations Quality Assurance (FOQA) is a voluntary safety program designed to improved aviation safety through the proactive use of flight-recorded data. Operators will use this data to identify and correct deficiencies in all area of flight operations. An air carrier wanting to participate in FOQA will prepare an Implementation and Operations (I&O) Plan for FAA review and approval. The I&O Plan specifies the organization, technology, policies, procedures, and operational processes to be used in their FOQA program. It further details how an air carrier will collect operational flight data, develop methods to analyze the collected flight data (e.g., trigger events, routine operational measurements), and establish procedures for comparing the collected data with established procedures and standards. The air carrier determines the areas it will heighten awareness and feedback programs to enhance safety. Identified areas often include flight procedures, flight training procedures and qualification standards, crew performance, air traffic control procedures, aircraft maintenance and engineering programs, and/or aircraft and airport design and maintenance. Trend analyses of FOQA data will identify potential problem areas, evaluate corrective actions, and measure performance over time. This information is de-identified to share with stakeholders and regulators such as the FAA, National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), or industry safety groups. Properly used, FOQA data can reduce or eliminate safety risks, as well as minimize deviations from regulations. Through access to de-identified aggregate FOQA data, the FAA can identify and analyze national trends and target resources to reduce operational risks in the National Airspace System (NAS), air traffic control (ATC), flight operations and airport operations. The FAA and the air transportation industry have sought additional means for addressing safety problems and identifying potential safety hazards. Based on the experiences of foreign air carriers, the results of several FAA sponsored studies, and input received from government/industry safety forums, the FAA concluded that wide implementation of FOQA programs could have significant potential to reduce air carrier accident rates below current levels. The value of FOQA programs is the early identification of adverse safety trends, which, if uncorrected, could lead to accidents. A key element in FOQA is the application of corrective action and follow-up to ensure that unsafe conditions are effectively remediated.

The latest form for Flight Operational Quality Assurance (FOQA) Program expires 2029-09-30 and is listed under ICR 202602-2120-005.

View the official OMB control history on Reginfo.gov.

Flight Operational Quality Assurance (FOQA) Program - Existing Program Reporting Requirements

Federal Enterprise Architecture: Transportation - Air Transportation