More cross-border tie-ups needed: ESM

SINGAPORE - Emeritus Senior Minister Goh Chok Tong has urged closer regional and international partnership in aviation against a backdrop of challenges that the industry faces in Asia.

Speaking at the opening dinner of the Singapore Airshow Aviation Leadership Summit (SAALS) last night, Mr Goh noted that aviation faced three key hurdles in the region - infrastructure, skilled manpower and regulatory barriers.

Some countries have "held back" their development plans, despite having airports that are at full capacity, Mr Goh said.

"Unless we adopt a more strategic perspective and make early investments in infrastructure, this will diminish airlines' confidence in investing in capacity," he added.

On the manpower front, Mr Goh cited International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) estimates that the international aviation system will require an additional half a million technicians and 350,000 pilots in the next 20 years.

"The aviation industry will, therefore, need to push new frontiers in technology and automation adoption," he said.

At the same time, Asian governments will have to further liberalise their aviation policies. "This will allow their domestic carriers to expand services as well as encourage foreign carriers to bring in more passengers," Mr Goh said.

Moving forward, a key area for regional and international partnership lies in tackling aviation emissions, according to Mr Goh.

While he urged the aviation sector to take collective mitigating action, he also noted that there is little benefit in countries adopting "unilateral market-based measures and environmental taxes" which will ultimately weaken the sector.

At the SAALS dinner, a memorandum of understanding (MOU) was also inked between Singapore and the ICAO. It was signed by Minister for Transport Lui Tuck Yew and the president of the Council of ICAO, Olumuyiwa Benard Aliu.

This MOU provides the framework for collaboration between the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore (CAAS), the Singapore Aviation Academy (SAA) and the ICAO on leadership and management training for aviation professionals.

"(The MOU) represents Singapore's commitment to helping states increase their regulatory capabilities, such as in safety, as well as to promote the sharing of aviation knowledge and best practices," Mr Goh said.

This is the third training-related MOU signed between Singapore and the ICAO. The first one, on the Singapore-ICAO Developing Countries Training Programme, has seen more than 620 training fellowships and five scholarships awarded by the Singapore government for SAA courses.

Currently, an executive programme on aviation safety which is targeted at directors general of civil aviation is being developed. The inaugural programme is slated to take place in the later half of 2014.

joyceh@sph.com.sg

Get The Business Times for more stories.