Singapore launches centre to drive sustainable aviation in Asia-Pacific

SINGAPORE – A new regional centre that will research and facilitate collaboration and training for sustainable aviation for the Asia-Pacific was launched here on July 10.

The Asia-Pacific Sustainable Aviation Centre, set up by the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore (CAAS), aims to help the region balance economic development and sustainability goals. 

The not-for-profit centre will help to advance sustainable aviation in a pragmatic way, through policy research in areas such as cleaner aviation fuels, carbon accounting and carbon market development.

It will also facilitate collaboration across governments, industry partners and academia to tap their expertise and resources for joint sustainable aviation projects.

Additionally, the centre will help boost technical assistance and training of workers in sustainable aviation policy development and execution among governments and companies.

Mr Han Kok Juan, director-general of CAAS, told reporters the centre will “provide individual states (with) a menu of policy options and instruments to advance their sustainability goals, taking into account their respective national circumstances”.

This is the first such centre in the world that undertakes policy research and capacity building with a focus on the Asia-Pacific region, added Mr Han, who chairs the centre’s board.

He said the centre is being set up because air travel demand in the Asia-Pacific is expected to grow strongly and triple over the next 20 years.

As these states are also committed to supporting net-zero carbon emissions, they would need a way to ensure growth while fulfilling sustainability goals, he added.

An advisory council comprising senior executives from partners in the aviation, energy and green financing sectors will guide the centre in its work, CAAS said in a statement on July 10.

The partners include aircraft manufacturers Airbus and Boeing, energy firms Chevron, ExxonMobil and Neste, as well as Singapore-based investment platform GenZero and global airline body International Air Transport Association (Iata).

The council will be in charge of evaluating the benefits of project ideas and providing experts to handle training or contribute to research, said Mr Han.

Mr Philip Goh, an airline industry veteran of close to four decades, is the founding chief executive officer of the centre. He was formerly regional vice-president of the Asia-Pacific at Iata, and also regional vice-president for both South-east Asia and the South West Pacific at Singapore Airlines.

He said he will build a team of up to 10 people over the next 1½ years to helm the centre.

CAAS said the centre will engage states and civil aviation authorities in the region to find out their needs, to understand how to support them. It will then develop joint projects and carry out trials for sustainable aviation policies, as well as curate training programmes for aviation professionals.

Mr Han said the centre’s operating costs – including staffing and infrastructure – will be fully funded by CAAS. A location for the centre has not been found yet, but he said it is unlikely to be situated within the airport.

On the philosophy behind the launch of the centre, Mr Han said: “We have a keen eye on the future and we take a long-term view to plan for not just the current generation but also the future generation. At the same time, we take pragmatic steps in the short term.

“We believe that for such a major endeavour, we can’t do it alone. We have to do it together, and that is why (there is) collaboration (through this centre).”

The Asia-Pacific Sustainable Aviation Centre and its advisory council partners will sign an agreement to formalise their collaboration at the Global Aviation and Maritime Symposium on the morning of July 14.

The centre’s first major engagement with states in the region will take place the same day, when it will convene a roundtable with Mr Juan Carlos Salazar, secretary-general of the International Civil Aviation Organisation, and over 20 directors-general of civil aviation from the region.

The symposium will mark the start of the High-Level Aviation Week programme that will run from July 14 to 19, where government and industry leaders will gather in Singapore for discussions.

Seven events will take place over the course of the week, including a meeting on the regulations for advanced air mobility – which includes air taxis and drones – and an aviation safety summit.