Exchange of views between regional security experts resumes at 7th Europe-Asia Pacific Aviation Security Forum
Singapore, 29-30 November 2022 — The 7th Europe-Asia Pacific Aviation Security Forum was held in Singapore, co-organised by ECAC and the Singapore Ministry of Transport. This Forum, held once every two years, marks the 15th year of excellent collaboration between ECAC and Singapore on aviation developments. The Forum was timely, convened in-person with the re-opening of borders previously closed because of the COVID-19 pandemic that severely impacted the global civil aviation industry.
Some 60 delegates from Europe and the Asia-Pacific region, comprising regulators and industry representatives (airlines, airports, air cargo associations, international organisations, and others) participated actively in the Forum. They shared views, experiences and ideas over five sessions: threats to civil aviation and challenges faced by regulators in a post-pandemic world; challenges faced by airports in restoring aviation security operations; aviation security challenges faced by airlines as air travel recovers; readying aviation security for the future; and facilitating access to capacity-building activities.
Carla Pinto, Director of the Facilitation and Security Bureau at the Portuguese civil aviation authority, ANAC, and a speaker at the Forum, offered her views on the event:
"The discussions held during these five sessions allowed all the participants to share best practices in approaching the challenges arising from the recovery process from the COVID pandemic. Common challenges were identified and widely discussed, and future solutions were analysed as a means to improve the civil aviation sector. Human factors and new technologies were the most-discussed issues, having in mind the rebuild of a more resilient civil aviation sector. Security and facilitation were also considered as the main pillars for the development of the sector."