Airline leaders in Asia-Pacific have arrived at a series of resolutions aimed at maintaining pressure on states and industry to resolve current regulatory issues relating to safety, environment, infrastructure, and passenger rights, according to the Association of Asia Pacific Airlines (AAPA).
The AAPA 62nd Assembly of Presidents held in Jeju, South Korea last week also recognized the need to address challenges relating to future manpower development and combating wildlife trafficking.
“Asia-Pacific carriers lead the development of the global air transport industry, but the long-term profitability and sustainability of the industry risks being undermined by inappropriate government legislation and short-term policy thinking,” said Andrew Herdman, AAPA director general.
“More so in Asia than anywhere else, the air transport industry is a key driver for business, economic and social development. In this respect, the Association will work energetically to challenge constraints that could restrict the aviation sector from reaching its full potential.”
Resolutions
On aviation safety, while overall safety performance in the region has continued to improve, AAPA believes it can be further enhanced through the effective implementation of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) Annex 19 “Safety Management.”
Thus, AAPA urged governments and industry to establish regional and national safety teams, supporting voluntary reporting of safety incidents and events on the basis of mutual trust between regulators and industry in line with “Just Culture” principles.
Regarding aviation and environment, the airline industry said it is fully committed to the agreement on the Carbon Offsetting & Reduction Scheme for International Aviation (CORSIA), but is concerned that some governments are imposing variations or additional requirements, which could undermine the integrity and environmental effectiveness of the scheme.
AAPA urged governments and operators to work together to ensure the effective implementation of CORSIA and refrain from imposing duplicate requirements on international aviation CO2 emissions.
In addition, the association urged the ICAO Council to finalize its guidance on the CORSIA Emissions Unit Criteria to enable operators to have broad access to recognized carbon offsets.
As for airport infrastructure, AAPA noted that the prospect of continuing strong passenger traffic and airline fleet growth over the next 20 years dictates the need for commensurate expansion of both airport and air traffic management infrastructure to avoid increasing congestion and flight delays in the future.
AAPA called on governments to ensure that regulatory frameworks on airport infrastructure investment are fit for purpose, and to properly balance the interests of airlines, passengers and airport operators, and to adhere to the principles of non-discrimination and transparency of user charges in line with ICAO guidance.
Meanwhile, on the issue of passenger rights, AAPA has identified new challenges in this area, where many governments have introduced aviation-specific consumer protection regimes.
“These actions are often uncoordinated and sometimes inconsistent with existing international treaties, which results in confusion for consumers and operational difficulties for airlines,” it said.
The association urged governments to ensure that mandated regulations related to consumer protection are “designed from the outset to be non-prescriptive, practical, and cost-effective.”
During periods of mass disruption, the focus should be on wider recovery efforts to restore services to the traveling public, said AAPA.
AAPA called on governments to recognize the key roles of multiple stakeholders including regulatory agencies, airports, airlines, ground handlers and other service providers in jointly developing appropriate contingency plans for system recovery following major disruptions.
Focusing on aviation manpower, AAPA said the substantial growth in demand for air travel is also creating challenges in recruiting the required numbers of aviation professionals including pilots and maintenance personnel.
ICAO has forecast that the aviation sector will require large numbers of qualified aviation professionals over the next twenty years including 620,000 pilots, 1.3 million aircraft maintenance personnel, and 125,000 air traffic controllers.
AAPA called on governments to support ICAO’s Next Generation of Aviation Professionals program by partnering with the aviation industry to invest in education and training of future aviation professionals, and to promote best practices in human resource development.
Turning to wildlife trafficking, AAPA called on governments and law enforcement agencies to commit additional resources to combat illegal wildlife trafficking, with the support of the air transport industry in raising awareness and monitoring efforts.
Photo: Whisper of the heart
