‘Global aviation did not grow by accident’: Jeffrey Siow calls for further collaboration at summit

SINGAPORE – The international aviation community must continue collaborating closely to further improve safety and efficiency, especially in an uncertain world, said Acting Transport Minister Jeffrey Siow on Feb 2.

Mr Siow was speaking at the third Changi Aviation Summit, held at the Sands Expo and Convention Centre ahead of the Singapore Airshow from Feb 3 to 8.

He said the event’s theme – Rising Above Disruption: Building the Aviation Ecosystem of Tomorrow – “speaks directly to the realities we face today... a world that is more fragmented, contested and uncertain”.

He noted that countries are instinctively turning inward, as the rules-based international order is being put under “tremendous pressure” by nationalistic tendencies, which are being asserted more forcefully.

“But the history of aviation reminds us why this instinct must be resisted,” Mr Siow said in his first summit as acting transport minister.

“Global aviation did not grow by accident. It grew because countries agreed to abide by common rules, connected standards and communal principles.”

Turning his attention to the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), the United Nations agency that oversees global aviation standards and practices, Mr Siow said Singapore has been a strong supporter of the agency’s work.

He cited how ICAO provided small countries like Singapore with opportunities to grow, namely through codifying various principles, regulations and standards for aviation.

One example he brought up was delegation arrangements, where one country provides air navigation services for the flight information region and territorial airspace of a neighbouring country.

Major airports such as Singapore’s Changi Airport and London’s Heathrow Airport could not function without them, as these arrangements ensure that arrivals and departures are sequenced safely, Mr Siow said.

Mr Toshiyuki Onuma, president of the ICAO Council, said the agency’s principle is to encourage most states “to understand the importance of aviation to connect the world”.

In his first press conference since taking on the appointment on Jan 1, he said he sees ICAO as having a practical role, possibly acting as a middleman through which different countries can connect and collaborate, especially in the context of a fragmented world.

Other topics Mr Siow touched on included the importance of Singapore’s air hub, as well as

Changi Airport Terminal 5 (T5)

.

On the Republic’s air hub, he said it is an existential matter, with the country’s ability to take part in the global economy heavily dependent on it being connected.

At the same time, the aviation sector accounts for about 5 per cent of Singapore’s gross domestic product and employs 60,000 people.

Mr Siow said: “But more importantly, the air hub enables the rest of our economy to grow – across manufacturing, tourism, logistics and wholesale trade.”

Currently, Changi Airport connects to 170 cities across five continents, and by the mid-2030s, it aims to have more than 200 city links when T5 opens.

The new terminal will raise the airport’s yearly passenger capacity by more than 55 per cent, from the current 90 million to 140 million.

Global air traffic is expected to almost triple by 2050, according to projections by ICAO, and the Asia-Pacific region is expected to be at the forefront of this growth.

Hence, with T5, Singapore will “capitalise on the strong long-term growth in air travel” and cement its position as a global aviation node, said Mr Siow.

Closing off his speech, delivered to about 400 people, including about 350 government and aviation industry leaders from more than 50 countries, Mr Siow said modern aviation’s success has depended on international cooperation, common rules, as well as a shared commitment to safety, connectivity and innovation.

These foundations are especially important in a fragmented world, and he stressed that those in attendance have a role to “strengthen the system that allows aviation to remain a force for progress”.

He added: “If we succeed, future generations can continue to benefit from an interconnected world, just as we have.”

Separately, French Transport Minister Philippe Tabarot told reporters that the aspirations of the aviation industry cannot be achieved if there is no cooperation between countries.

Speaking through an interpreter, he said that if a country decides to act unilaterally, then it is likely that shared goals, such as safety and sustainability, will not meet expectations.

“At the end of the day, we all share one sky – it belongs to everyone... The key to achieve solutions is to work together,” he said.