PORT VILA, Vanuatu: The Pacific Aviation Safety Office’s (PASO) latest capacity building program for Pacific civil aviation professionals is focusing on ensuring Pacific Member States have a rigorous understanding of best practice safety oversight systems developed for the Pacific.

Pacific civil aviation senior management and officials recently undertook PASO’s latest online participative training opportunity, “Master Class: Safety Oversight and the PASO Safety Oversight Model”, which examined the interface between Pacific State’s aviation safety oversight systems and PASO’s operating model.

Over thirty participants from eight PASO Member States’ civil aviation authorities from the Cook Islands, Kiribati, Nauru, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tuvalu and Vanuatu joined in the five-hour training provided over two weeks in two sessions in mid-September.

PASO’s Regulatory Specialist, Mr. Steve Douglas delivered the two-session Master Class drawing on his 25 years’ experience working in New Zealand civil aviation senior management, including as a former Civil Aviation Authority New Zealand Director, and his specialist knowledge of best practice aviation regulatory system operations, policies, safety and risk management.

“PASO is committed to working with PASO Members States to achieve a better understanding of the fundamentals of State and PASO aviation obligations, so we can effectively work together,” said PASO’s General Manager, Mr. Andrew Valentine.

“Our latest training series contributes to improving the knowledge and capacity of our Member States to deliver quality of aviation safety and security oversight via their respective national civil aviation authorities.”

“PASO Member States have an obligation to comply with international and regional standards required under the Pacific Islands Civil Aviation Safety and Security Treaty (PICASST) and the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) convention,” said Mr. Valentine.

As a Regional Aviation Safety Oversight Organization (RSOO) recognized by ICAO, PASO’s role is to provide continuous improvement of quality of aviation safety and security oversight services to PASO member’s and their respective national civil aviation authorities.

“We are here to encourage, support and, ultimately, empower our Member States to realise improved aviation safety oversight performance for the benefit of Pacific communities,” said Mr. Valentine.

“Our Master Class training series provides the technical operational information required by Pacific civil aviation officials to meet their obligations, which includes gaining a better understanding of PASO’s Safety Oversight Model, policies, procedures and best practice.

The specialist training examined PASO’s certification and audit procedures, and the best practice procedures to implement the oversight delegation mechanism in place between States and PASO.

Mr. Douglas has been working with PASO to review PASO’s Technical Manuals that are used to support the core services that PASO provides under its Audit and Inspection Programs (AIP). His consultancy is made possible by the PASO Reform Project, funded by the World Bank.

“This work has been under development for over twelve months and has been made possible through funding from the World Bank and is targeted at strengthening the PASO Quality Management System and technical services to Member States,” concluded Mr. Valentine.

PASO’s new model was operationally field tested in the Solomon Islands prior to the  COVID19 pandemic causing the closure of Pacific nations borders. The PASO Safety Oversight Model is now is being fine-tuned so that Pacific civil aviation authorities can carry out Off-Site Certification Audits (OSCA) with off-site support from PASO.