Mr. Juan Carlos Salazar, the ICAO Secretary General undertook a recent mission to Singapore, from 6 to 9 April 2022. The focus of his visit to the city-state was to affirm and enhance the strong support and co-operation from Singapore for a sustainable and resilient recovery for air transport regionally and globally, as well as in other fields of work for the global civil aviation sector. The Secretary General and Mr. Han Kok Juan signed an agreement to jointly develop and deliver a global programme on aviation recovery and resilience for the DGCAs of ICAO’s 193 Member States.
The Secretary General had productive discussions on this topic were held with Singapore’s Senior Minister of State for Transport, and Sustainability and the Environment, Dr. Amy Khor (at right in picture); the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Transport, Mr. Loh Ngai Seng; the Chairman of Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore (CAAS), Mr Edmund Cheng; and the Director-General and Deputy Director General of the CAAS, Mr Han Kok Juan and Mr Bernard Lim, respectively, and various other officials.
During the visit, the Secretary General also engaged in robust roundtable discussions with Singapore’s aviation industry leaders, including representatives of Singapore’s airlines, industry associations, maintenance and repair organizations, the academia, and the International Advisory Panel on Sustainability Air Hub.
The meetings looked at issues encompassing recovery priorities and the post-pandemic challenges faced by the aviation industry, strategies for addressing environmental and operational sustainability (including emerging human resource challenges), the fostering of safety culture, cyber-security and cyber-resilience; Singapore’s plans for Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) and counter unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) capabilities, and technological innovations to improve cross-border cooperation and recognition. Discussions also revolved around recent advances in air navigation within the Asia-Pacific region and cooperation with ICAO, and future opportunities for international aviation at the global level.
The Secretary General also participated in the Pacific Small Island Developing States (PSIDS) Dialogue hybrid event and held discussions with Directors General of Civil Aviation (DGCAs) of the Cook Islands, Fiji, Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Nauru, Papua New Guinea, Singapore, Solomon Islands, and Vanuatu. On this occasion, Mr. Salazar shared ICAO’s commitment to advancing the implementation of the recommendations of the Pacific Aviation Needs Analysis (PANA) Study, and the priority ICAO is giving to assisting the PSIDS in addressing their specific needs in their journey to aviation recovery, while Mr. Han Kok Juan also affirmed Singapore’s support for the implementation of the PANA recommendations, including contributions for the first year of the appointment of an ICAO PSIDS liaison officer.
The Secretary General also visited various aviation facilities including Neste Asia Pacific, the world's largest producer of renewable diesel and jet fuel from waste and residues, Sustainable Aviation Fuels (SAFs) and he had discussions identifying strategies to substantially reduce greenhouse gas emissions through the development of SAFs.
Human resource development was also a major focus of the mission. The Secretary General also held an engagement session with young Singaporean aviation professionals, sharing his experience on leadership and career development, and responding to their questions.
