Even though air transport performance is only expected to reach pre-pandemic numbers by 2024/2025, 2023 was significant in global aviation for all the ways air transport went back to normal. The Asia Pacific region has shown considerable progress in the recovery of domestic as well as international passenger traffic originating from the APAC region. For international departures originating from the region, there was an increase of 70 percent in the number of flights in November 2022.
The pandemic has shown us that aviation is a resilient industry. The lessons learned, however, have to remind all of us that being prepared for aviation-related public health must be maintained and complacency has to be avoided. A sustainable and more resilient future for aviation is fully achievable, and in that regard, it is worth noting that innovation will be a critical component in assuring every passenger’s expectation in terms of safety, security, health, and convenience of their air travel experience.
Despite the challenges, remarkable progress has been made in the APAC region under all ICAO Strategic Objectives, through the dedicated and cohesive teamwork of the ICAO APAC team and our colleagues in HQ and the other Regional Offices. I would like to highlight some of the prominent achievements for 2023.
When it comes to Safety, the Effective Implementation (EI) level of USOAP for the APAC region has improved from 63.62% to 65.28% in 2023. A number of ICAO APAC Combined Action Team technical assistance missions were conducted to assist States in their preparations for future USOAP CMA activities. In the scope of Air Navigation Capacity and Efficiency, 15 APANPIRG Air Navigation Deficiencies were resolved, and the APAC Air Navigation Service Provideers (ANSPs) Committee (AAC) was established to enhance the cooperation between APAC . For Security and Facilitation, the APAC AVSEC team delivered AVSEC technical assistance missions to Pacific Small Island Developing States (PSIDS) to provide onsite support and recommendations, with a particular focus on addressing potential SSeCs.
In terms of Economic Development, APAC successfully organized the ICAO Aviation Data and Analysis Seminar in APAC to promote usage of data for planning purposes of States. In the area of Environmental Protection, minimizing the adverse environmental effects of civil aviation activities remains our primary focus and accordingly significant outcomes have been achieved, especially for the Carbon Offsetting and Reduction Scheme for International (CORSIA). 83% of states have submitted required information regarding CO2 emissions, while 64% have notified ICAO of their decision to voluntarily participate in CORSIA. To provide implementation support to APAC States/Administrations in aviation-related public health events preparedness planning, the APAC RO, supported by the WHO Southeast Asia Regional Office conducted the 16th Meeting of the CAPSCA-AP/16 in November 2023.
Another substantial achievement by our office was the onsite deployment of the newly appointed PSIDS Liaison Officer in Nadi, Fiji in October 2023. APAC RO is committed to supporting the PSIDS in strengthening the safety and security of civil aviation and several initial project proposals are being developed with delivery expected to commence in Q1 2024. Furthermore, the APAC RO successfully underwent a number of oversight activities in 2023, namely the Evaluation of Country Portfolio of Thailand performed by the Office of the Internal Oversight, followed by the audit of the management processes relating to the accounting and finance carried out by the Swiss Federal Audit Office (SFAO).
In summary, APAC States have accomplished significant achievements under all strategic objectives. On that note, I want to express my appreciation to the team for the dedication and contributions that led to the remarkable achievement for APAC and to reiterate our commitment to support the APAC States in their endeavors to achieve a safe, secure, sustainable, and more resilient future for aviation.
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