ICAO Council President’s Inaugural Visit to PASO Marks Milestone for Pacific Aviation
Port Vila, Vanuatu – 21st October 2026 – The Pacific Aviation Safety Office (PASO) welcomed His Excellency Toshiyuki Onuma, President of the Council of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), during his inaugural visit to PASO, marking the first visit to the Pacific region by a sitting ICAO Council President.
Accompanied by Mr Tao Ma, Regional Director of ICAO’s Asia and Pacific Regional Office, the visit reaffirmed ICAO’s commitment to supporting Pacific Small Island Developing States (PSIDS) through its No Country Left Behind initiative and highlighted the importance of strengthening aviation safety oversight across the region.
Discussions focused on PASO’s achievements, ongoing challenges and future priorities, including the implementation of recommendations arising from the 2019 ICAO PSIDS Study and the associated ICAO Implementation Support Roadmap (ISR). These initiatives recognise the unique challenges faced by Pacific Island States and promote greater regional collaboration, regulatory harmonisation, capacity building and sustainable oversight arrangements.
A key priority highlighted was PASO’s development of a Comprehensive Oversight Implementation Framework, to equip Member States with standardised documentation, tools, procedures and processes to strengthen regulatory oversight and improve compliance with ICAO requirements across the Pacific.
The visit also explored opportunities to strengthen cooperation between ICAO and PASO in delivering technical assistance, inspector development and targeted implementation support, reinforcing PASO’s role as the region’s recognised Regional Safety Oversight Organisation (RSOO).
Coinciding with the 3rd PSIDS–ICAO+Partners Coordination Meeting in Nadi, the visit underscored the shared commitment of ICAO, PASO, Member States and development partners to advancing the objectives of the PSIDS Study and ISR through practical regional solutions that support safer, more resilient and sustainable aviation systems.
For PASO and its Member States, the visit represents an important step in ensuring Pacific aviation priorities remain visible on the global agenda while strengthening the partnership between ICAO and PASO to enhance aviation safety, regulatory compliance and oversight capability throughout the region.
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