How Singapore is improving aviation safety over the next three years
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox
The new aviation safety plan includes better support for aviation professionals and enhanced safety rules for emerging technologies such as drones.
PHOTO: ST FILE
Follow topic:
- CAAS aims to improve cabin safety during turbulence and tackle radio frequency interference in aircraft.
- It will manage fatigue risks, improve mental health support, and explore pilot training technologies.
- The plans also include drone traffic management, autonomous vehicle safety rules and better data protection.
AI generated
SINGAPORE – The Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore (CAAS) has come up with actions to address aviation safety risks over the next three years, as air passenger volumes here continue to grow.
In its new national aviation safety plan published on Sept 3
Here are some of the 45 actions listed in the new plan:
Better support for aviation professionals
Tripartite committee to manage risks of fatigue
The rise in travel demand has placed pressure on airlines and air navigation service providers to roster flight crew or air traffic control officers more frequently, close to regulatory limits. This could increase fatigue risks and lead to a consequential rise in safety-related incidents.
To be set up by 2025, the new committee will facilitate collaboration among unions, service providers and the regulator to uphold safety in flight operations by ensuring reasonable rostering practices.
Enhanced access to mental health support
Aviation professionals may need help coping with the evolving work-life environment, given the rise in operational complexities and workload demands in the sector.
CAAS and Changi General Hospital will strengthen their partnership in giving aviation workers access to professional mental health resources, to help them set up well-being support programmes and peer support networks by 2027.
Use of new pilot training technologies
Eye tracking is one possible technology that can support pilot training as it helps to identify where and how long a pilot directs his or her gaze during a flight. CAAS hopes to study this by 2027, since it could improve pilots’ flying techniques by accurately measuring their real-time awareness.
Managing safety risks of emerging technologies
Traffic management system for unmanned aircraft
The new system will serve as a one-stop portal for regulatory services such as unmanned aircraft operator registrations and flight approvals, while allowing tracking of all unmanned aircraft operations in Singapore’s skies. It is slated to be completed by 2027.
Safety regulations for airside autonomous vehicles
CAAS is working on a safety regulatory framework for autonomous vehicles to facilitate the safe operation of such vehicles at the part of the airport after immigration clearance, where planes take off and land.
The framework is slated to be completed by 2025, and is meant to manage the ongoing autonomous vehicle trials undertaken by Changi Airport Group and ground handling companies.
Improving analysis of past aviation incidents
Better protection of information for accident investigations
The Transport Safety Investigations Act will be reviewed by 2027 to enhance the protection of data collected by cockpit voice recorders.
This is to provide pilots with greater assurance that the data will not be misused and can better facilitate the course of an investigation.
Data-informed techniques to prevent accidents
More detailed analyses of past aviation events, operational data, real-time information, safety reports and aviation experts’ insights can allow regulators to better understand why certain safety risks occur.
CAAS aims to adopt a data-informed approach to identify potential risks early and roll out solutions by 2027.
