Proactive approach key to safety and resilience of aviation systems: Sun Xueling

The increasing complexity and demands of the aviation industry will require airlines to take a more proactive approach to safety, Senior Minister of State for Transport Sun Xueling said on July 15.

- Esther Loi

Ms Sun, who was speaking to around 500 aviation professionals at the third Asia Pacific Summit for Aviation Safety, said this can be done in three ways.

It can be done through implementing robust safety regimes that will allow safety management systems and regulations to respond to systemic and emerging risks; by encouraging positive safety cultures where aviation personnel are supported for reporting hazards and mistakes; and having leadership that demonstrates a commitment to safety.

"Such efforts to safeguard aviation will allow us to preserve and build public trust in aviation, a trust painstakingly built over decades, assuring passengers that all efforts have been made to ensure they can fly and return home safely to their loved ones," she said.

Her comments come amid a spate of recent aviation incidents, including the Air India crash that killed 260 people on June 12, and a collision between two planes at Hanoi's Noi Bai Airport on June 27.

Ms Sun acknowledged that the industry saw "several accidents and serious incidents" over the past year, and said operations in the air and on the ground will become more complex as demand for air travel increases.

Higher levels of operational efficiency will be needed to handle the increase in air traffic while ensuring safety standards, she said.