May 2020 | Pacific Aviation Safety Office

SUVA, Fiji: The coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic is a global health emergency of unprecedented scale, which is threatening the health, wellbeing and security of all Pacific people. This crisis recognizes no borders and requires leadership, coordination, and cooperation from across our Blue Pacific region.The Council of Regional Organisations of the Pacific (CROP) has pledged its full support to Pacific Island Countries and Territories (PICTs) in the response and recovery to this crisis. As Heads of CROP agencies, we are meeting regularly on COVID-19, with agency resources and staff being adjusted to ensure PICTs are provided with the information and support they require on COVID-19, while continuing to progress existing regional priorities. CROP agencies are also working closely with Pacific leaders and ministers to take concrete action for the health, safety and wellbeing of Pacific people together with international and regional partners.

How are CROP agencies supporting regional response efforts to COVID-19?
Pacific Humanitarian Pathway on COVID-19 (PHP-C)
Forum Foreign Ministers have agreed to establish a Pacific Humanitarian Pathway on COVID-19 (PHP-C) to expedite assistance and cooperation between Pacific countries in preparing for, and responding, to COVID-19. The PHP-C is providing regional leadership, direction and coordination to enable the provision of medical and humanitarian assistance from regional and international organisations in a timely, safe, effective and equitable manner. Further detail on the PHP-C can be found here.

The first delivery through the PHP-C arrived in Nadi on 21 April. This donation of personal protective equipment is being distributed in Fiji, Papua New Guinea, New Caledonia and French Polynesia. Media release here.

COVID-19 Joint Incident Management Team (IMT)
Coordinated by WHO in the Pacific with CROP representation from SPC and PIFS, the Joint IMT has developed and are implementing a six-month Pacific Action Plan Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) Preparedness and Response. The Joint IMT is currently helping to address critical supply needs for countries including the procurement of laboratory packaging and personal protective equipment (PPE) and providing technical advice on a range of public health measures.

Pacific Public Health Surveillance Network (PPHSN)
As CROP focal point for this network, SPC is currently deploying staff to do in-country training on COVID-19 case identification, contact tracing, case investigation, outbreak management, in-country assessment, training on infection control and coordinating the procurement process for point-of-care tests (BD Veritor System). The PPHSN includes six services to prevent and respond to epidemics -coordination of laboratory services, surveillance systems, infection control, alert and communication, knowledge exchange and capacity building.

Socio-economic recovery efforts
While the immediate focus of CROP agencies is supporting regional response efforts on COVID-19, CROP agencies are also working to assess the wider economic and social impacts of this crisis, and provide advice to Pacific Leaders and Ministers on options to strengthen recovery efforts over the medium to longer term.

The tourism sector has been severely impacted. SPTO continues to share information on the impacts and responses from tourism sectors throughout the region. This is informing Pacific regional cooperation on tourism’s recovery from COVID-19.CROP agencies are also considering the impacts and recovery efforts for trade, investment and remittance flows; food security, fisheries and agriculture; and environmental and waste management.

There is no doubt that in the short term, COVID-19 is impacting the work of CROP agencies. Many meetings and events have been postponed or repurposed and some projects are being adjusted or slowed as we unite behind this common challenge. Face-to-face classes at all USP campuses in the region were initially deferred, and are now being conducted virtually. CROP agencies are continuing critical work on ongoing regional priorities including climate change action and building Pacific resilience. The efforts we are taking now will help get us through this crisis together.

The members of CROP will continue working to ensure that the Pacific can face this challenge in the same way that we have faced others in the past- with confidence, resilience and unity, in the true spirit of our common Blue Pacific.

For more information please contact:
Caroline Bergman Hart
Engagement Adviser (Strategic Communications)
Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat
carolineh@forumsec.org
Mobile: (+61) 414 072 566

Peter W. Foster
Director of Communications
Pacific Community
peterf@spc.int
Tel: (+679) 337 9451. Ext: 35451
Mobile: (+679) 720 8220

PORT VILA, Vanuatu: The Pacific Aviation Safety Office (PASO) and the Civil Aviation Authority of Vanuatu (CAAV) are working together with Vanuatu’s civil aviation operators to ensure Vanuatu’s commercial chartered aircraft are meeting international airworthiness safety standards as they respond to Tropical Cyclone Harold.

“PASO is currently providing technical expertise to CAAV to assist with airworthiness certificates renewals for commercial chartered operators’ aircraft that have had major maintenance carried out,” said PASO Operations Manager, Mr. Netava Waqa.

“These commercial aircraft are vital to Vanuatu’s current emergency Tropical Cyclone Harold relief response and PASO’s technical aviation safety oversight will enable the CAAV to properly assess and certify that these aircrafts can safely return to the air to help Vanuatu’s communities.”

“PASO and CAAV are cooperating to carry out meticulous inspections of aircraft operators’ maintenance records to ensure aircraft have been maintained fully in accordance with the required standards and are therefore, safe to operate to carry passengers,” said Mr. Waqa.

Vanuatu’s commercial chartered operators are a critical component of the Pacific nation’s current emergency response to the devastating impacts of Easter Sunday’s Tropical Cyclone Harold in the northern provinces of the nation.

With Vanuatu in a self-imposed COVID-19 locked down, foreign aid is restricted to the transport of emergency supplies to the capital Port Vila. The Pacific nation is relying on locally based, commercial chartered operators to reach Vanuatu’s network of small remote airports to transport emergency supplies onto impacted remote communities across the wide geographical area affected by the natural disaster.

Commercial chartered aircraft are in demand to carry out impact assessments, transport critical relief equipment and emergency supplies, and medivac retrievals of critically injured patients on behalf of the Vanuatu government, aid donors, and private citizens. Vanuatu has five commercial chartered operators which have around 20 domestic aircraft servicing the country.

“We are really pleased to support the strong work of the Civil Aviation Authority of Vanuatu to get these planes back into the skies to help Vanuatu. We are also very pleased to be able to support Vanuatu’s local operators who provide an essential service,” said PASO’s General Manager, Mr. Andrew Valentine.

“One such operator has an aircraft that was previously a victim of Tropical Cyclone Pam in 2015. It was so badly damaged it was rendered unserviceable. Now this aircraft has been repaired in accordance with approved aviation standards by the operator, and CAAV and PASO are in the process of confirming its airworthiness status so the aircraft can take to the skies again.”

Mr. Valentine said, “We are appreciative of the New Zealand Government’s financial support to enable PASO to provide a highly specialised aviation technical advisor to strengthen CAAV’s efforts”.

Despite the Advisor being currently based in New Zealand due to the current COVID-19 travel restrictions, PASO has been using innovative ICT technology to continue to provide much needed regulatory services to Vanuatu. PASO is now looking to provide these services remotely to other PASO Pacific Member States.

“The Civil Aviation Authority of Vanuatu (CAAV) appreciates and acknowledges PASO management for recognising the urgent need for continued regulatory compliance during these unprecedented times brought about by COVID-19 and Tropical Cyclone Harold,” said the Director of CAAV, Ms. Jackie Langati Trief.

“We also acknowledge the New Zealand Government’s assistance to enable technical support to facilitate regulatory compliance to the aviation industry in Vanuatu.”

While the CAAV are the lead agency for air safety and security compliance in Vanuatu, it is the role of PASO to support and strengthen CAAV’s and other Pacific Member States civil aviation requirements.

PASO, which is hosted by the Republic of Vanuatu in Port Vila, was created by the 10 Member States of the PICASST treaty to provide specialized regulatory aviation safety oversight services and capacity building to their respective National Civil Aviation Authorities.

Mr. Valentine said, “Achieving compliance with required International Civil Aviation Office (ICAO) Standards and Recommended Practices (SARPs) for aerodromes, air navigation services, airworthiness, aviation security, flight operations and personnel licencing is an absolute necessity for Pacific governments to ensure their civil aviation industry can operate safely.”

“PASO plays a critical role in delivering aviation safety and security for the Pacific,” concluded Mr. Valentine.

IMAGE CAPTION: Civil Aviation Authority of Vanuatu’s Airworthiness Officer, Manfred Veremaito with Pacific Aviation Safety Office’s Operations Advisor, Joseph Niel Noupat and Air Taxi Vanuatu’s Chief Engineer, Nick Barber at Port Vila Airport, Vanuatu. Credit: paso.aero

Council of Regional Organisations of the Pacific Statement – Working together on the COVID-19 Crisis

Aviation safety sector works together to respond to Tropical Cyclone Harold

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