Media Release
Sri Lanka and Viet Nam Join Regional Aviation Safety Data and Information Sharing Initiative
9 September 2026
Seven States are now collaborating and sharing safety data and information to enhance aviation safety
On 8 September 2026, the Civil Aviation Authority of Sri Lanka (CAASL) and the Civil Aviation Authority of Viet Nam (CAAV) formally joined the Regional Aviation Safety Data and Information Sharing Initiative on the sidelines of the 61st Conference of Directors General of Civil Aviation being held in Malaysia from 7 to 11 September. The initiative, first mooted at the inaugural Asia-Pacific Summit for Aviation Safety held in Singapore in 2023, was established by Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore and Thailand through the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding in 2024. It now spans seven States committed to collaborating and sharing de-identified[1] safety data and information to identify safety hazards and trends and develop measures to better manage safety risks across the region.
2 The seven States signed an agreement, witnessed by senior International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) officials: Mr Toshiyuki Onuma, President of the ICAO Council, Mr Juan Carlos Salazar, ICAO Secretary General and Mr Tao Ma, ICAO Asia Pacific Regional Director. The agreement was signed by Mr Lukman F. Laisa, Director General Civil Aviation, Directorate General Civil Aviation (DGCA) of Indonesia; Dato' Captain Norazman Bin Mahmud, Chief Executive Officer, Civil Aviation Authority of Malaysia (CAAM); Attorney Danjun G Lucas, Deputy Director-General for Administration, Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP); Mr Han Kok Juan, Director-General, Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore (CAAS); Captain Daminda Rambukwella, Director General of Civil Aviation and Chief Executive Officer, CAASL; Air Chief Marshal Manat Chavanaprayoon, Director-General, Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand (CAAT); and Mr Do Hong Cam, Deputy Director General, CAAV.
3 Since its establishment, the initiative has also expanded in the scope of safety data shared. The initial list of seven safety occurrence categories for reporting was expanded to ten[2] in 2025, with the addition of runway incursions, unstable approaches that continued to land, and wildlife sightings (excluding birds). These additions came about as participating States collectively analysed safety trends and identified these as emerging areas requiring a deeper understanding of evolving safety risks.
4 To date, more than 13,000 safety reports have been pooled across all five States, covering the period January 2023 to April 2026. Analysis of this consolidated dataset has revealed key safety trends across the region. Over 80% of these reports were bird strikes and wildlife sightings, while the remaining 20% covered areas including Traffic Collision Avoidance System Resolution Advisory activations, Ground Proximity Warning System alerts, and windshear encounters. These insights, which would not have been apparent from any single State's dataset alone, have enhanced participating States' understanding of regional safety trends, informed further collaborative analysis, and strengthened data-driven safety oversight across the region.
5 Captain Daminda Rambukwella, Director General of Civil Aviation and Chief Executive Officer of CAASL, said, “The CAASL, as the regulatory authority responsible for ensuring the safe, secure, and efficient development of the civil aviation industry in Sri Lanka, is mandated to regulate and oversee the industry, promote aviation safety and security, facilitate its sustainable growth, provide air navigation services, and ensure compliance with national and international obligations and standards. Participation in this data initiative is therefore aligned with CAASL’s regulatory and safety oversight responsibilities and directly supports the objectives of the National Aviation Safety Plan (NASP), particularly by strengthening data-driven safety oversight, enhancing the sharing and analysis of safety information, and facilitating the identification and mitigation of aviation safety risks.”
6 Mr Do Hong Cam, Deputy Director General of CAAV, said, “Viet Nam’s participation reflects our commitment to proactive, data-driven safety oversight and regional cooperation. Sharing de-identified safety data will help States identify emerging hazards earlier, strengthen collective analysis and develop effective measures to reduce safety risks across the region.”
[1] De-identified safety data means that any data shared by a State under this initiative would not capture any direct identifiers of individual service providers involved, specific flights or operational personnel. This initiative is intended for the enhancement of safety through sharing of data and information. The data is not meant to be used for any other purposes such as punitive actions or enforcement.
[2] The ten categories are (i) Traffic Collision Avoidance System – Resolution Advisory, (ii) Deviations from Air Traffic Controller assigned altitude, (iii) Ground Proximity Warning System or Terrain Awareness and Warning System activations, (iv) Severe turbulence, (v) Windshear, (vi) Bird strikes, (vii) Dangerous goods incidents (viii) Runway incursions, (ix) Unstable approaches that continued to land and (x) Wildlife sightings (excluding birds)
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. For more information, visit www.caas.gov.sg (opens in new tab).
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