About 200 air accident investigators and other safety experts are in Singapore to discuss what more can be done to make flying safer. Held at the Singapore Aviation Academy, the event is hosted by Singapore's Air Accident Investigation Bureau and supported by global bodies like the International Civil Aviation Organisation (Icao).

Speaking at the opening, Mr Pang Kin Keong, Permanent Secretary of the Transport Ministry said that despite a growing number of travellers, air safety "has never been better".

However, while the accident numbers have fallen over the years, safety must not be taken for granted, he stressed. Icao's Air Navigation Bureau director, Nancy Graham, said in a keynote address that a challenge for the global community is the disparity between countries in their levels of safety oversight.

In Africa and the Asia-Pacific for example, there are countries like Indonesia that do not have strong systems and processes in place to ensure high safety standards, experts have said. Just over a week ago, a Lion Air jet crashed into the sea off the Indonesian resort island of Bali. Investigations are ongoing into the mishap which did not kill anyone.