5 nations agree to share aviation safety data
THE Philippines has joined four other Southeast Asian countries to improve air travel safety in the region by sharing aviation data and information among themselves, including reports of severe turbulence. At the 59th Directors General of Civil Aviation Conference in Lapu-Lapu City, Cebu, the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) announced that they had reached an agreement with Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, and Thailand to launch the data sharing plan by the end of the year. The agreement comes as air travel recovers from the Covid-19 pandemic, which hammered tourism in the region. The initiative was proposed last year but it took time for the countries to agree on what to share and to draw up protocols that will govern data confidentiality. "In a first-of-its kind initiative in the Asia-Pacific, the five states will collaborate and share de-identified safety data and safety information to identify safety hazards and trends and develop mitigating measures to better manage safety risks," the joint statement said. The countries identified an initial seven categories to be shared, including collision warnings, deviations from altitudes assigned by air traffic controllers and activation of warning systems on the ground. Reports of severe air turbulence, windshear, bird strikes and the carriage of dangerous goods are also to be shared. The Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand will act as the "custodian" of the data and its Singapore counterpart the "data analyst," the statement said. The data, findings and recommendations from the analysis of the information "shall not be used to support investigations of accidents and incidents and shall not be used for punitive or enforcement purposes," the statement said. Singapore's civil aviation authority director-general Han Kok Juan said he hoped other countries would join "to ensure safer skies for the travelling public." CAAP Director General Manuel Antonio Tamayo emphasized the importance of collaboration in the aviation industry due to its cross-border nature.
Tomas Kauer - Moderator 
THE Philippines has joined four other Southeast Asian countries to improve air travel safety in the region by sharing aviation data and information among themselves, including reports of severe turbulence.
At the 59th Directors General of Civil Aviation Conference in Lapu-Lapu City, Cebu, the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) announced that they had reached an agreement with Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, and Thailand to launch the data sharing plan by the end of the year.
The agreement comes as air travel recovers from the Covid-19 pandemic, which hammered tourism in the region.
The initiative was proposed last year but it took time for the countries to agree on what to share and to draw up protocols that will govern data confidentiality.
"In a first-of-its kind initiative in the Asia-Pacific, the five states will collaborate and share de-identified safety data and safety information to identify safety hazards and trends and develop mitigating measures to better manage safety risks," the joint statement said.
The countries identified an initial seven categories to be shared, including collision warnings, deviations from altitudes assigned by air traffic controllers and activation of warning systems on the ground.
Reports of severe air turbulence, windshear, bird strikes and the carriage of dangerous goods are also to be shared.
The Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand will act as the "custodian" of the data and its Singapore counterpart the "data analyst," the statement said.
The data, findings and recommendations from the analysis of the information "shall not be used to support investigations of accidents and incidents and shall not be used for punitive or enforcement purposes," the statement said.
Singapore's civil aviation authority director-general Han Kok Juan said he hoped other countries would join "to ensure safer skies for the travelling public."
CAAP Director General Manuel Antonio Tamayo emphasized the importance of collaboration in the aviation industry due to its cross-border nature.
