ICAO Asia and Pacific Regional Office

22/12/2022

21/12/2022

Implementation Support Project in Lao PDR Officially Launched

With the cooperation and coordination between Department of Civil Aviation of Lao PDR (DCAL) together with Lao Air Navigation Services (LANS), Air Traffic Management Bureau (ATMB) of Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC), ICAO ANB, TCB, and APAC Regional Office, the kick off Meeting of Implementation Support Project in Lao PDR was held from 12 to 13 December 2022 in Vientiane, Lao People's Democratic Republic, attended by 31 participants from DCAL, LANS, ATMB and ICAO APAC Office, which marked the commencement of the ICAO funded Special Implementation Project (SIP), namely, the ATM Infrastructure Operations Capability Building in Lao PDR.

The project aims to mitigate the difficulties and challenges faced by LANS, build the internal stronghold of LANS technicians, and eventually improve the CNS/ATM operations and maintenance capability of LANS through onsite support arrangement kindly provided by ATMB of CAAC. Additionally, the project will identify the current gap and proposals for future actions through an evaluation report, promote engagement of ICAO RO and LANS in CNS/ATM infrastructure area, and enhance engagement of ICAO RO and China ATMB in supporting regional initiative in terms of expertise and other resources.

14/12/2022

APAC Aviation Medical Examiner Refresher Workshop

The ICAO APAC Office organized the Second Aviation Medicine Refresher Workshop for Civil Aviation Medical Examiners (AME Workshop) at Makati Diamond Residences, Makati City, Metro Manila, Philippines from 12 to 13 December 2022.
The main objective of the Aviation Medicine Refresher Workshop is to provide updated information relevant to the duties and responsibilities of Civil Aviation Medical Examiners. Training was conducted by Dr Ansa Jordaan, Chief of Aviation Medicine Section of ICAO together with the experts from European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA), International Academy of Aviation and Space Medicine (IAASM) and the CAAs of Australia, China, India, Malaysia, Philippines and Sri Lanka. There were 43 participants (Civil Aviation Medical Examiners and experts from the Civil Aviation Regulatory Authorities and Public Health Authorities, Airport and Airline representatives and other relevant Stakeholders) from 10 States/ Administrations and 6 from Industries attending the workshop.
The AME Workshop will be followed by the Fifteenth Meeting of the Collaborative Arrangement for the Prevention and Management of Public Health Events in Civil Aviation Asia Pacific (CAPSCA-AP/15) from 14 to 16 December 2022 at Makati Diamond Residences, Makati City, Metro Manila, Philippines.

For more information, please visit: https://www.icao.int/APAC/Meetings/Pages/2022-CAPSCA-AP15.aspx

23/11/2022

APANPIRG/33 attended by 334 participants (with 121 in-person participants) from 32 Member States/Administrations and 6 International Organizations.

The ICAO Thirty-third Meeting of Air Navigation Planning and Implementation Regional Group (APANPIRG/33) hybrid meeting is being currently hosted by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation, Indonesia, in Bali, Indonesia from 22 to 24 November 2022.

The opening ceremony started with Balinese Traditional Performance “Bunga Sandat Dance”, followed by Opening Remarks of the ICAO Asia and Pacific Regional Director, Mr. Tao Ma and the Opening Remarks of Mr. Kevin Shum, the Chairman of APANPIRG. The Welcome Remarks were delivered by the Secretary-General of Ministry of Transportation, Mr. Novie Riyanto Rahardjo. In this auspicious occasion, meeting delegates joined in playing the “Angklung” to mark the official opening of APANPIRG/33. The event was attended by 334 participants (on-site 121 participants and online 223 participants) from 32 Member States/Administrations and 6 International Organizations. APANPIRG/33 was supported by 7 industry partners through exhibition and sponsorship i.e NOKIA, LAMINAAR Aviation Infotech, AirNav Indonesia, Angkasa Pura Airports, Garuda Indonesia, Indonesia Civil Aviation Polytechnic Curug and Center for Human Resources Development on Civil Aviation (CHRDCA).

10/11/2022

APAC Regional Workshop - Dealing with families and the media during an accident investigation.

On 8 Nov 2022, the ICAO APAC Office successfully organised a workshop on the very topical theme - Dealing with families and the media during an accident investigation. This was a full day workshop looking at sharing experiences and best practice at how Accident Investigation Authorities (AIAs) deal with families of victims and surviving passengers, and the media, as part of the independent investigation process. The wider aim of this Workshop was to support the ongoing work of ICAO coming out of the 2021 Symposium on Assistance to Aircraft Accident Victims and their Families (AAAVF 2021) in developing guidance material for accident investigators to provide focused briefing information to families of victims and further advance the guidance on how to address communication media when an accident occurs.

The hybrid workshop was attended by 100 over participants from 26 States and International Organisations. 7 presenters from Australia (ATSB), Japan (JTSB), Malaysia (MAS), China (CAAC), Indonesia (NTSC/KNKT), France (BEA), USA (NTSB) – shared experiences, family assistance concepts of operation, lessons learned and challenges encountered in dealing with victims of air accidents and their relatives and media.
APAC Regional Workshop - Dealing with families and the media during an accident investigation.

01/11/2022

The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), Asia/Pacific Office organized the second Regional session of the Civil Aviation Master Planning (CAMP) Training Course in Bangkok, Thailand, from 24 to 28 October 2022, under the auspices of the ICAO Global Aviation Training (G*T) CAMP Scholarship Programme.

The course's opening ceremony was held on 24 October 2022 in the Hotel Courtyard by Marriott Bangkok, Thailand. As the chief guests, Mr. Sarun Benjanirat, Deputy Director General of Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand and Mr Tao Ma , the Regional Director of the ICAO APAC Office inaugurated the course and addressed participants.

19/10/2022

The ICAO Asia/Pacific Office is conducting the first session of the ICAO Civil Aviation Master Planning (CAMP) Training Course in Kathmandu, Nepal, from 17 to 21 October 2022. As the chief guest, Mr. Pradeep Adhikari, Director General Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal, inaugurated the course and addressed participants.

Funded by the Government of China, ICAO initiated a dedicated project in 2021 to develop and deliver the CAMP training course. The course addresses the critical needs of managing States' civil aviation master plans and integrating the civil aviation sector into national development plans. It also provides senior and middle managers of the State's Civil Aviation Authorities (CAAs) with the competencies required to develop, implement, and update a Civil Aviation Master Plan (CAMP), including the recovery from the impacts of COVID-19, following the relevant ICAO provisions. This USD1.62 million project aimed at developing a brand-new ICAO Training Package (ITP) and delivering the ITP to 500 nominees from 60 developing States through 20 regional and national training sessions. The regional session of the CAMP course in Nepal has participants from Bangladesh, India, Nepal , Pakistan and Sri Lanka. The next session of the CAMP course will be conducted in Bangkok, Thailand from 24 to 28 October 2022.

27/09/2022

Opportunity for Exhibition and Sponsorship
Interested Industry, please contact : [email protected]

27/09/2022

GRF Webinar "Ten months into GRF : Challenges Met and Lessons Learnt in Asia and Pacific" is going to be hosted on 29 September 2022

14/09/2022

14/09/2022

Day 1 - afternoon session is LIVE NOW: ICAO's seventeenth Traveller Identification Programme Symposium (TRIP2022). Watch it on ICAO TV:https://bit.ly/3RXEoTp
Effective implementation of the ICAO TRIP Strategy is essential in helping States optimize the economic, social, and political benefits of international travel and to achieve the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. The TRIP Strategy also helps to manage security risks and to respond to threats at borders by enabling better targeting of resources towards persons of interest. The rapid pace and diversity of innovation are producing new possibilities in which traveller identification can be managed. Experts will give their views on current and future initiatives and challenges.

13/09/2022

IMPLEMENTATION SUPPORT:
The APAC RO has the opportunity to deliver an onsite Combined Action Team – Aviation Security (CAT-AVSEC) technical assistance mission to Timor-Leste in September 2022.
The mission team was warmly welcome by the Civil Aviation Authority of Timor-Leste (ACCTL, I.P), the Airport Authority (ANATL. E.P.) and several AVSEC agencies operating at the President Nicolau Lobato International Airport (PNLIA).

The objectives of the mission were to work with these agencies to improve their AVSEC systems and operations, covering aspects on the Critical Elements (CEs) 1 – 5 of the State’s AVSEC Oversight system, and paying particular focus on the implementation of security measures as reflected under CEs 6 to 8.

07/07/2022

The 57th Conference of Directors General of Civil Aviation Asia and Pacific under the theme “Strengthening Regional Cooperation for the Restoration of Air Network with No Country Left Behind” is being hosted by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport(MOLIT), Republic of Korea from 4 to 8 July 2022 in Incheon, Republic of Korea. The opening ceremony commenced by a “Daechwita” traditional Korean performance and was presided over by His Excellency Hee-ryong WON, Minister of MOLIT who in his opening remarks highlighted the opening of air transport and cooperation among States. Welcome remarks were delivered by Dr. Yong-seog KIM, Deputy Minister for Civil Aviation, MOLIT who was elected as Chairperson of the conference .

The ICAO Delegation was headed by Mr. Salvatore Sciacchitano, President of the ICAO Council and the ICAO Secretary General Juan Carlos Salazar. Dr. Manjit Singh the ICAO APAC Office, Deputy Regional Director acted as Secretary of the conference proceedings. There were a total 308 registered on-site participants and 180 registered on-line participants, from 32 States/Administrations, 13 International Organizations and 9 industry partners as exhibitors in the conference.

03/07/2022

Ready for tomorrow and the whole week- 57th Conference of Directors General of Civil Aviation Asia Pacific. 4-8 July 2022 at Paradise City, Incheon, Republic of Korea

17/06/2022

17th Meeting of the ICAO Aeronautical Information Services - Aeronautical Information Management Implementation Task Force will be organized from 20 to 24 June 2022 via video teleconference

07/06/2022

ICAO Webinar on Implementation of ATM Automation System is going to be held on 7 June 2022 via video teleconference with the support from 5 industry sponsors: CDATC, Thales, Frequentis, Chinney and Saab

19/05/2022

ICAO congratulates CAA Nepal on Aerodrome Certification compliance of the Gautam Buddha International Airport

On 16 May 2022, The Rt. Honorable Prime Minister of Nepal Sher Bahadur Deuba inaugurated Nepal’s second international airport, the Gautam Buddha International Airport (GBIA), located in Siddharthanagar serving the UNESCO World Heritage site of Lumbini, the birthplace of Gautam Buddha.
The upgrading of GBIA was funded by ADB, the OPEC Fund and by Government of Nepal. The new airport facility, which can accommodate wide-body airplanes, features a new runway of 3,000 meters equipped with an ILS and has the ICAO designator of VNBW. The opening was marked by a successful landing of an international Jazeera Airways commercial flight from Kuwait.
Speaking on the inauguration occasion, the ICAO APAC Deputy Regional Director Dr Manjit Singh congratulated the Government of Nepal for inaugurating its second gateway airport as part of its national pride project and acknowledged its potential to serve as an alternate to Tribhuvan International Airport, Kathmandu. He emphasized the importance of civil aviation and airports for land-locked countries especially for their air connectivity, socio-economic development, facilitating tourism and disaster relief efforts. ICAO also congratulated the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal for their steadfast efforts in certifying GBIA in line with ICAO standards and guidance and fulfilling the Beijing Declaration commitment by Asia Pacific Ministers of Civil Aviation with regard to certifying aerodromes used for international operations in accordance with the specifications contained in Annex 14.

09/05/2022

The 57th Conference of Directors General of Civil Aviation Asia & Pacific Region (DGCA57) will be hosted by Republic of Korea from 4 to 8 July 2022 at Paradise City Convention Center, Incheon, Republic of Korea

Theme of DGCA57: "Strengthening Regional Cooperation for the Restoration of Air Network with No Country Left Behind"

There are 9 exhibitors in DGCA57 Conference.

Conference Website: www.dgca2022.kr

08/04/2022

ICAO Secretary General hails Thailand's leadership in contributing towards recovery of the global aviation sector

Bangkok, 7 April 2022 – At a bilateral meeting that took place in Bangkok this week with H.E. General Prayut Chan-o-cha, the Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Thailand, ICAO Secretary General Juan Carlos Salazar congratulated the host State of ICAO’s Asia and Pacific Regional Office on its exemplary commitment to advancing a sustainable and resilient recovery of its aviation and tourism sectors in line with related ICAO guidance.

The meeting between the leaders was attended by Mr. Saksayam Chidchob, Minister of Transport of Thailand; the Ministry’s Permanent Secretary, Mr. Chayatan Phromsorn; and the Director General of the Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand (CAAT), Mr. Suttipong Kongpool.

The Secretary General appreciated Thailand’s significant contributions towards all of ICAO’s safety, security, and sustainability objectives for global aviation, highlighting its work to continuously enhance its oversight capacities in accordance with the relevant ICAO standards and recommended practices.

Thailand’s implementation of the recommendations of the ICAO Council Aviation Recovery Task Force (CART) were seen as particularly important to its current successes, especially given the high importance of international and domestic air tourism to its overall economic prosperity.

Expressing his gratitude for Thailand’s long-standing accommodation of ICAO’s Asia and Pacific Regional Office, Mr. Salazar reiterated ICAO’s commitment to supporting Thailand in its endeavours for the recovery of the aviation industry in Thailand and the region.

The meeting also provided an opportunity to review avenues for heightened cooperation, including enhancing the alignment of the COVID-19 provisions for entry to Thailand with international guidance by working closely with public health authorities, and a more broadly continued easing of entry requirements.

Mr. Salazar also attended meetings with CAAT and Aeronautical Radio of Thailand (AEROTHAI) officials, where he explored current technical and policy priorities. DGCA Kongpool was joined on these occasions by the CAAT Deputy Director General, Mr. Sarun Benjanirat, and AEROTHAI’s President and Executive Vice President (Operations), Dr. Nopasit Chakpitak and Mr. Tinnagorn Choowong, respectively.

The Secretary General thanked both organizations for their continued contributions to ICAO’s work, including the development of ICAO’s standards and recommended practices and recent regional aviation safety and air navigation capacity planning, in addition to valuable financial and human resources contributions.

Mr. Salazar further highlighted AEROTHAI’s excellent infrastructure, especially in the area of Air Traffic Flow Management (ATFM), acknowledging that Thailand is a key contributor to the work of the Asia/Pacific ATFM Steering Group, and appreciating the technical expertise it brings to the work of the Asia/Pacific System-Wide Information Management (SWIM) Task Force.

Throughout all his meetings in Thailand, the Secretary General was accompanied and supported by ICAO’s Regional and Deputy Regional Directors for the Asia Pacific region, Mr. Tao Ma and
Dr. Manjit Singh, respectively.

The Secretary General’s mission to Thailand took place within the context of the lead up to the 41st Session of the Assembly of ICAO’s Member States, which begins in September 2022. The Government of Thailand made clear to the Secretary General that it will participate actively in the Assembly deliberations, and notably on the innovation and resilience priorities which are so critical to the current air transport recovery and sustainability objectives.

28/03/2022

ICAO Global Implementation Support Symposium
"Reconnecting the World: Runway to Aviation Recovery" will be conducted from 28 June to 1 July 2022 in Istanbul, Turkey.
Event website and registration: https://www.icaogiss2022.com/

23/03/2022

ICAO APAC Newsletter Vol. 5 No.1 is now available on: https://unitingaviation.com/icao-regional-offices/asia-and-pacific-apac/

13/01/2022

ICAO Security Culture Webinar on 16 February 2022
http://www.icao.int/Meetings/Security-Culture-Webinar/Pages/default.aspx

20/12/2021

SEASON'S GREETINGS!
From ICAO APAC Regional Office and Regional Sub-Office

10/12/2021

ICAO is organising the first Global Webinar on the Outcomes of the High-level Conference on COVID-19 (HLCC 2021) of a series that will promote and also raise awareness of Declaration of the HLCC 2021 Conference that was held from 12 to 22 October 2021.

Global Webinar on the Outcomes of HLCC 2021

DATE & TIME: 15 December 2021 (08:00-09:30hrs EST)
Location: Virtual/Online
Link: The link to the webinar website, including a registration link is provided below:
https://www.icao.int/Meetings/webinar-series/Pages/-Global-Webinar-on-the-Outcomes-of-HLCC-2021.aspx

07/12/2021

7 December : International Civil Aviation Day 2021 (ICAO DAY)
This International Civil Aviation Day, , ICAO is highlighting the vital importance of the entire air transport community's commitment to keeping the world connected safely, securely, and sustainably. As the pandemic recovery continues, please help us raise awareness of this critical work.
Video from ICAO HQs:
https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=587727032306833

03/12/2021

In line with the latest recommendations of the World Health Organization (WHO), ICAO issued a new global bulletin urging a more measured and evidence-based approach to countries’ national air transport restrictions due to the emergence of the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant. Please refer to the link below for the full text of ICAO bulletin 2021/43.
https://www.icao.int/Newsroom/Pages/ICAO-issues-new-Omicron-variant-air-transport-recommendations.aspx

23/11/2021

The 32nd Meeting of Asia and Pacific Air Navigation Planning and Implementation Regional Group will be conducted from 1 - 3 December 2021 via video teleconference

18/10/2021

The 25th Meeting of Communications, Navigation and Surveillance Sub-group of APANPIRG (CNS-SG/25) has now been conducted via video teleconferencing from 18 to 22 October 2021. There are more than 200 registered participants and 9 industry sponsors for the event.
Registration Link: https://events.icao.int/event-details?campaignID=D760A927-53D9-EB11-810B-001DD8B71C70

17/09/2021

74th Session of WHO Regional Committee for South East Asia was held from 6 -10 September 2021, conducted virtually from Nepal. ICAO APAC DRD, Dr. Manjit Singh provided a Statement on ICAO’s work and assistance to States on Public Health Preparedness Planning under the Agenda Item on ‘Strengthening public health emergency preparedness and response in the South-East Asia Region.

01/09/2021

APAC Webinar: Practical Solutions to Challenges in Implementing GRF in Asia/Pacific Region

The ICAO APAC Office in collaboration with ACI, IFATCA, IFALPA and IFAIMA organised the webinar on “Practical Solutions to Challenges in Implementing GRF in Asia/Pacific Region” on 30 August 2021 to provide a timely opportunity to all stakeholders involved in the implementation of GRF for runway surface conditions, to seek clarifications on the new methodology and to discuss solutions to the common challenges encountered in their efforts to put GRF in place on ICAO applicability date of 4 November 2021. Representatives from the ICAO Friction Task Force, aerodrome operators, aeronautical information service providers, airline pilots and air traffic controllers presented their perspectives especially in how they overcame the implementation challenges. Almost 350 participants from all over the world attended the webinar and actively raised questions for the panel of speakers. The webinar materials and recording are available here: https://www.icao.int/APAC/Meetings/Pages/2021-GRF-Webinar.aspx

01/09/2021

ICAO APAC ADS-B Webinar on "Implementation of ADS-B in APAC Region" has been conducted on 1 September 2021 with contribution from the CAAS and supported by Thales, Aireon and CASRI

25/08/2021

An Introductory Courtesy Call between Mr. Juan Carlos Salazar, ICAO Secretary-General and the DGs/CEOs of APAC CAA Member States and Industry Partners was convened virtually on 20 August 2021. During the session attended by nearly 27 APAC States/Administrations , Mr Salazar reiterated ICAO’s commitment to continuously support the respective governments on their endeavors and efforts to recover from the global pandemic and restart the international aviation sector. Member States/Industry Partners extended their warm welcome to the ICAO SG and expressed their utmost appreciation to the support provided by ICAO, in particular, the APAC Regional Office, during this challenging time for the aviation industry. Secretary General Salazar also took the opportunity to encourage APAC States to participate in the forthcoming ICAO High-level Conference on COVID-19 (HLCC 2021, 12 to 22 October 2021). The link to the video recording of the Courtesy Call session :
https://www.icao.int/APAC/Meetings/Pages/CC-SG-DGAPAC-2021.aspx