CAAS Gathers Aviation Community to Focus on Runway Safety

               The Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore (CAAS) urged the aviation community to stay vigilant and pay close attention to runway safety, especially with air traffic expected to reach pre-pandemic levels this year. Addressing some 300 key aviation personnel today at this year’s Aviation Safety Forum held at the Crowne Plaza Changi Airport, Mr Han Kok Juan, Director-General of CAAS, made this call to all levels and to all parts of the aviation ecosystem. Please refer to Annex A for Mr Han’s full speech.

2             CAAS asked that the aviation community look at how various preventive measures can be reinforced in three key areas: 

(i)         Technology: The community has and needs to continue to invest in and leverage new technologies, including drawing on safety data, to level-up safety capabilities in pre-empting and preventing runway incidents. Technology can enable and support human performance and help alleviate workload amidst constraints in manpower.

(ii)       Human Factors: The community has and needs to sharpen understanding of the interplay between human factors and systems and procedures. Human performance can lead to different outcomes within the same operating environment, due to variability in skill levels, workload and interpretation of procedures. Training and proper consideration of human factors issues in the design of systems and processes will help address these.

(iii)      Collaboration: The community has and needs to continue to collaboratively invest in systems, people, structures and platforms to ensure that safe processes and practices can be scaled up to meet future operational demand. Safe runway operations depend upon individual actors both on the ground and in the air looking out for each other. The community has set up Runway Safety Teams to foster coordination across companies and functions and these will be strengthened.

3             Themed “Safeguarding Runway Operations”, the focus of the annual gathering of the Singapore aviation sector this year on runway safety was timely. The meeting served as a useful stocktake of the preventive measures in place in Singapore and facilitated discussions on what more could be done to further strengthen runway safety.

4            At the Forum, a diverse line-up of industry speakers and subject matter experts shared their experiences, exchanged ideas and best practices, delving deeper into the following key topics:

(i)         Lessons Learnt from Runway Operations - by Mr Victor Tan, Deputy Director, Aerodrome & Air Navigation Services Regulation, CAAS                            

-       A review of runway operations involving different parties such as pilots, air traffic controllers and ground services whilst highlighting the importance of close ground-air coordination and communication, the interplay of human factors and operational systems and processes, and the importance of vigilance and close collaboration among the various players involved.

(ii)       The Role of Human Factors in Runway Safety - by Ms Delicia Ser, Organisational Psychologist, Managing Partner, Cydel

-       A look at how the use of technology and system safeguards, which could be valuable enablers for safety, would need to be implemented taking into account human factors considerations, including the extent to which humans are able to cope with rapid technological change, and the delicate balance needed to avoid complacency and over-reliance on automated tools.

(iii)      Runway Safety from a Flight Operations Perspective - by Capt Viswanathan Ramasamy, Head, Flight Operations Safety, Security & Quality, Singapore Airlines    

-       Sharing of practices observed by SIA both locally and overseas impacting runway safety.

(iv)      Runway Safety from the Military’s Perspective - by Col Nick Wong, Head, Air Force Inspectorate, The Republic of Singapore Air Force                             

-       A focus on the critical interfaces and collaboration between civil and military operations, especially during the co-use of runways.

(v)       Runway Safety: A Team Effort - by Mr Tong Yi Chuen, Vice President, Airside Operations Planning, Changi Airport Group and Mr Benny Png, Senior Chief, Aerodrome, CAAS   

-       A focus on efforts by the Changi Runway Safety Team to safeguard runway operations through structures, processes and close coordination and collaboration across various stakeholders in the aviation ecosystem, and what more could be done by the aviation community to further strengthen runway safety in Singapore.

(vi)      Presentation on the Global Action Plan for the Prevention of Runway Incursions (GAPPRI) - by Mr Mitch Fox, Director, Asia Pacific Centre for Aviation Safety, Flight Safety Foundation    

-       Sharing on the collaborative effort by key international aviation bodies and stakeholders from across the aviation ecosystem globally, including members of the Singapore aviation community, to enhance aviation safety. The GAPPRI offers synchronised, consensus-based recommendations encompassing best practices that go beyond regulatory compliance.

Please refer to Annex B for the full list of Forum speakers and panellists. 

5             Mr Alan Foo, Senior Director of the Safety Regulation Group at CAAS, said: “We have many safeguards in place, but cannot take runway safety for granted. This is why CAAS, in our role as the safety regulator, brings our aviation community together to learn from past incidents through platforms such as this Aviation Safety Forum, to close gaps and minimise safety risks. The focus on aviation safety and an open spirit of sharing and learning from one another at all levels and across the entire eco-system will help strengthen our safety culture.”

6             Mr Benny Png, Senior Chief Aerodrome at CAAS and Co-chair of the Changi Runway Safety Team added: “The Runway Safety Teams underscore the focus we place on runway safety and the whole-of-ecosystem collaborative approach we adopt. It provides a useful platform for all stakeholders to meet regularly to review and strengthen current practices, anticipate emerging risks and take preventive actions to strengthen runway safety.”

Annex A - Opening Address by Mr Han Kok Juan, Director-General, CAAS (PDF, 158 KB)

Annex B - Full List of Speakers and Panellists (PDF, 36 KB)

About the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore
The mission of the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore (CAAS) is to grow a safe, vibrant air hub and civil aviation system, making a key contribution to Singapore's success. CAAS' roles are to oversee and promote safety in the aviation industry, develop the air hub and aviation industry, provide air navigation services, provide aviation training for human resource development, and contribute to the development of international civil aviation.

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