PH, 4 SEA neighbors share data on aviation

The Philippines has entered into an agreement with four Southeast Asian (SEA) neighbors—Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, and Thailand—to share aviation data and other related information, including reports of severe turbulence, for safer air travel in the region.

The civil aviation chiefs of the five countries signed the Regional Aviation Safety Data and Information Sharing Initiative during the 59th Conference of Directors General of Civil Aviation-Asia and Pacific Regions, which was held on Wednesday in Cebu City.

“The cross-border nature of aviation demands that we work together. Through this agreement, we will collectively identify emerging trends and hazards, allowing the continuous development of proactive measures that advance safety goals across the Asia-Pacific,” said Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (Caap) Director General Manuel Antonio Tamayo.

“Together, we will ensure safer skies for all,” he added.

In a statement, Caap said the data to be shared, as sourced from mandatory safety reporting systems, would initially focus on seven key safety categories, including severe turbulence and incidents involving dangerous goods.

De-identified data

The Philippines will play an active role in collecting and analyzing the data to identify regional safety trends, the agency added.

The agreement will also enhance Caap’s safety management activities by leveraging “de-identified” safety data to identify emerging hazards, track trends, and implement measures that support the goals of the Asia-Pacific Regional Aviation Safety Plan and improve risk management.

De-identification generally refers to the process of masking or removing all personal information from a record or data set.

Reports of severe air turbulence, windshear, bird strikes, and the carriage of dangerous goods are also to be shared.

The initiative sets the stage for further cooperation among Southeast Asian countries, with more expected to join in the future, the agency said.

The agreement comes as air travel recovers from the COVID-19 pandemic, which hammered tourism in the region.

Caap said the agreement was first proposed at the Asia-Pacific Summit for Aviation Safety in Singapore in 2023. But it took time for the countries to agree on what to share and to draw up protocols governing 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,” a joint statement by the five civil aviation authorities read in part.

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 traveling public.” —WITH A REPORT FROM AFP