International Air Transport Association Director General Giovanni Bisignani issued a warning about safety to Middle East carriers at the Arab Air Carriers Organization's annual general meeting. 'As of the end of September, the region's accident rate is six times worse than the global average,' Bisignani said, adding the figure should serve 'as a wake up call for all of us'. Despite a regional committment to embrace the IATA Operational Safety Audit (IOSA), only Syria and Egypt have made the standard a requirement, he noted.