Proactive approach essential to ensure safety and resilience of aviation systems: Sun Xueling

SINGAPORE – The increasing complexity and demands of the aviation industry will require airlines to take a more proactive approach to safety, Senior Minister of State for Transport Sun Xueling said on July 15.

Ms Sun, who was speaking to around 500 aviation professionals at the third Asia Pacific Summit for Aviation Safety, said this can be done in three ways.

It can be done through implementing robust safety regimes that will allow safety management systems and regulations to respond to systemic and emerging risks; by encouraging positive safety cultures where aviation personnel are supported for reporting hazards and mistakes; and having leadership that demonstrates a commitment to safety.

“Such efforts to safeguard aviation will allow us to preserve and build public trust in aviation, a trust painstakingly built over decades, assuring passengers that all efforts have been made to ensure they can fly and return home safely to their loved ones,” she said.

Her comments come amid a spate of recent aviation incidents, including the

Air India crash

that killed 260 people on June 12, and a collision between two planes at Hanoi’s Noi Bai Airport on June 27.

Ms Sun acknowledged that the industry saw “several accidents and serious incidents” over the past year, and said operations in the air and on the ground will become more complex as demand for air travel increases.

Higher levels of operational efficiency will be needed to handle the increase in air traffic while ensuring safety standards, she said.

Beyond that, she also spoke of the evolving geopolitical landscape and supply chain constraints that could pose challenges to maintaining the industry’s safety standards.

Additionally, technologies like artificial intelligence could make operations more complex as they change the way operators interact with the machines – potentially increasing the need to mentally process information, added Ms Sun.

To address these developments, Ms Sun said the industry should continue to deepen regional and international collaboration, and incorporate technological innovations into safety regimes.

Held from July 15 to 17 at Suntec Singapore Convention and Exhibition Centre, the summit functions as a platform for aviation leaders to discuss how to strengthen safety in the sector through regional cooperation.

Since the summit’s first run in Singapore in 2023, it has established the

first regional safety data-sharing initiative among five Asean states

, including Singapore, which involves the exchange of critical safety data on aviation incidents such as severe turbulence and bird strikes in their airspace, airports, or with their national airlines.

Ms Sun noted that to date, these states have shared about 7,000 reports with one another, enhancing their collective ability to identify safety hazards and trends, on top of taking proactive measures to address them.

“Collaboration across governments, industry and international organisations will be increasingly vital in managing cross-border safety issues,” she said.

She added that only open sharing, mutual learning and strong collaboration can strengthen aviation safety and tackle emerging risks.

Also addressing participants at the summit was Mr Juan Carlos Salazar, secretary-general of the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO).

Mr Salazar said there was a critical need to prioritise the most significant global aviation safety issues due to the importance of preserving public confidence.

The ICAO has set a goal of zero fatalities in commercial operations by 2030, and Mr Salazar pointed out that the organisation has identified several high-risk areas in aviation.

These include a flight unintentionally flying into the ground, a water body or obstacle by a pilot; loss of control in flight; mid-air collisions; the unauthorised presence of an aircraft, vehicle or person on a runway; and an inappropriate exit of an aircraft from a runway during take-off or landing.

He added that ICAO had identified systemic issues affecting aviation safety, including safety oversights in which the authorities are unable to meet national and international obligations due to insufficient financial resources; and not having enough qualified technical personnel in the areas of aircraft accident investigation and aerodrome inspection.

Calling on the audience to contribute to global aviation safety through the panel discussions and meetings, he said: “Gatherings like this summit... they transform global strategies into regional action, and regional collaboration into real safety improvements in the states and air transport operations.”