Singapore and the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) 

Singapore is honoured to sit on the Council of the ICAO, the governing body of the organisation, since 2003. It has also served on the organisation’s main technical body, the ICAO Air Navigation Commission since 2005.

Contributions to International Aviation 

Singapore shares ICAO’s vision of promoting safety, security, environmental protection and sustainability in civil aviation globally.

Singapore has benefited from the international aviation framework, and recognises the importance of international aviation as a vital mode of transportation in a globalised world and its contributions to the socio-economic progress of a country, particularly island States.

Contributing Experts and Resources to ICAO to Advance Global Aviation

Through the years, Singapore has built up competencies and expertise civil aviation management, and is actively participating in over 100 ICAO panels, committees, working groups and task forces – to help develop and strengthen international standards in various aspects of aviation, ranging from aviation safety, aviation security, air traffic management to aviation environmental protection, aviation law, aviation medicine and airport operations. To date, Singapore has served as a Chairperson or a core team member in almost 20 of these groups. 

Supporting the Global Effort to Mitigate International Aviation Emissions

Singapore affirms and support ICAO’s leadership in addressing the environmental impact of international aviation activities. Singapore was involved in the development of recommendations on a Global Market-based Measure (GMBM) scheme and had actively sought to forge consensus on the scheme. This has resulted in the historical and unanimous agreement on the Carbon Offset and Reduction Scheme for International Aviation (CORSIA) at the 39^th ICAO Assembly in 2016.

On the technical front, Singapore also actively supports the work of the ICAO Committee on Aviation Environmental Protection (CAEP) since 2000, including through leadership roles in several working groups. Singapore has been assisting the Council in the adoption of Standards and Recommended Practices on aircraft noise and emissions, as well as policy formulation.

Within the Asia-Pacific region, Singapore is also a pioneer member of the Asia and Pacific Initiative to Reduce Emissions (ASPIRE), which is a partnership of regional air navigation service providers focused on reducing international aviation emissions through greater air navigation efficiency. Nationally, Singapore has kept its State Action Plan up to date. The Plan incorporates technical and operational measures taken by CAAS as the air navigation service provider for flights within the Singapore Flight Information Region (FIR), and measures taken by Singapore air operators, to contribute to the global goal of achieving annual fuel efficiency improvements of 2%.