PORT VILA: Fostering Pacific regional cooperation and organisational operational stability are the focus for the Pacific Aviation Safety Office (PASO) over the next twelve months to enable continued delivery of aviation safety and security Member services agreed the PASO Council of Directors at their Annual General Meeting.

The PASO Annual General Meeting on Thursday, 11 March 2021 was attended virtually by representatives from eight signatories of the Pacific Islands Civil Aviation Safety and Security Treaty (PICASST) and two Associate Members.

PASO Council representation included Pacific government executive level transport and foreign affairs officials from Australia, Cook Islands, Kiribati, Nauru, New Zealand, Niue, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Tuvalu, and Vanuatu. The Singapore Civil Aviation Authority also attended on the invitation of the PASO Council.

The PASO Council considered PASO’s annual performance and direction, including improved governance arrangements, continued operational strengthening, corporate compliance, strategic partnerships and donor support, and noted the ongoing preparations for the virtual Regional Aviation Ministers Meeting (RAMM) in April.

PASO Council elections

In accordance with the PASO Constitution, the PASO Council conducted elections for the Council Chairperson and Deputy chairpersons at the Annual General Meeting.

Member State Samoa was unanimously re-elected to Chair the PASO Council. Mr. Magele Hoe J. Viali, the Secretary of Transport, Chief Executive Officer and Director General of Civil Aviation will continue as the PASO Chairperson.

Niue was appointed unopposed as the Deputy Chair of the Council and Chair of the Technical Sub-Committee by the PASO Council. Mr. Bill MacGregor, Director of Niue Civil Aviation, and a long-serving member of the PASO Council will perform the role on behalf of Niue.

With this change in PASO Council leadership, the Council of Directors took the opportunity to note Vanuatu’s long standing service and thanked them for their contribution to PASO in this capacity.

The Cook Islands was re-appointed unopposed as the Deputy Chair of the Council and Chair of the Finance Sub-Committee. Mr. John Hosking, Secretary of Transport for the Ministry of Transport will stay in the role on behalf of the Cook Islands.

Strong organisational growth

The PASO Council recognised PASO’s strong service delivery and organisational strengthening achievements over the previous twelve months despite the operational challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The PASO Council Chairperson, Mr. Magele Hoe J. Viali said:

“Amidst the COVID-19 pandemic there became an increasing need to improve PASO’s services for our Members and to ensure PASO is fit-for-purpose with a new organisational structure that allows better collaboration, and coordination, and encourages greater efficiencies for our Members.”

“Now the key emphasis for PASO is maintaining stability, strong governance, and organisational effectiveness to support our Members with their economic recovery efforts. Pacific aviation safety systems must be robust for when borders eventually open. We must be prepared.”

“PASO is moving forward, and we are making progress at last, despite these hard times. Hopefully with the vaccine program being rolled out it will enable some travel restrictions to be lifted so our aviation safety inspectors can attend to work on the ground,” said Mr. Viali.

Nauru’s Director of the Civil Aviation, Mr. Dominic Tabuna at the meeting said:

“We commend PASO for strategically addressing the Pacific’s need for an integrated and harmonised regulatory system to support aviation safety and enable connectivity. This good work is critical and will benefit all PICASST Signatories, and we are grateful for PASO’s assistance.”

The Council heard that PASO will embark in coming weeks on virtual country consultations and regional engagement in advance of the RAMM preparations and endorsement of individual country service-level agreements.

Strategic Partnerships

The PASO Council recognised that the Australian Government’s AUD $2 million COVID-19 PASO Support Package for 2021 would assist with organisational stability and technical advisor service delivery.

The funding support is directed at assisting PASO to provide aviation safety oversight services directly to Members to increase their aviation safety and security compliance levels to meet international obligations under the Chicago Convention.

“We are very grateful to the Australian Government for their strategic donor support in recognition of the economic hardship and aviation security challenges PASO and its Member countries have faced this year with the COVID-19 disruption. Australia’s assistance ensures our Members are supported during these challenging times and can continue their required aviation safety oversight,” said Mr. Viali.

“This strategic funding support enables PASO’s Technical Advisor Program, which includes provision of expert advice and assistance from six technical aviation advisors for a period of 12-months in the areas of aerodromes and ground aids, air navigation, airworthiness, and flight operations,” said PASO’s General Manager, Mr. Andrew Valentine.

PASO is well positioned to rapidly meet the needs of Members in 2021 and will have sufficient resources to respond to requests for technical assistance.

“We continue to appreciate the financial support from our other strategic partners, including the Vanuatu Government as host of PASO, the World Bank funded PASO Reform Project, and the New Zealand Government for PASO core funding and indirect support via PASO’s USOAP programme,” concluded Mr. Valentine.

The Council also welcomed Singapore’s participation at the meeting and was pleased to hear of their continued commitment to capacity building for Pacific Island civil aviation authorities.

A PASO Special Council meeting is scheduled for 24 March 2021 for the PASO Council to progress RAMM arrangements in collaboration with Members of the Pacific Island Forum Secretariat.

PORT VILA: Regional preparations are underway for a virtual Regional Aviation Minister’s Meeting (RAMM) in April 2021 to progress Pacific aviation solutions, after the planned March 2020 RAMM in Papua New Guinea was postponed due to COVID-19 disruption.

At a Pacific Aviation Safety Office (PASO) Special Council Meeting hosted virtually on Wednesday, 9 December 2020, regional officials from 13 Pacific countries and two regional organisations committed to the April 2021 RAMM and agreed on the meeting’s scope, including an ‘in principle’ agenda. 

Achieving a robust Pacific Region aviation system that delivers safe, secure, efficient, reliable, affordable, and sustainable air services, including mitigating COVID-19 air transport disruption, are on the Ministerial Meeting’s agenda for discussion.  

“The Regional Aviation Minister’s Meeting provides a platform for all Pacific Forum Members to come together and agree on our future through a formal declaration and outcome statement,” said PASO Chairman Mr. Magele Hoe J. Viali.

“Regionally we need to work inclusively to progress strategic solutions for Pacific aviation. We are very fortunate to have this opportunity to advance the future of air connectivity for our region – together. The COVID-19 pandemic has affected everyone, and it has clearly shone a light on the importance of aviation connectivity in our Pacific region, especially for small island developing States.”

Senior aviation and foreign affairs officials from Australia, Cook Islands, Fiji, Kiribati, Niue, New Caledonia, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu, and Vanuatu joined officials from the Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat (PIFS) and PASO at this week’s virtual meeting to progress the RAMM’s arrangements.

The officials agreed that the intention of the Minister’s Meeting is to provide an important platform for all participating States to request dialogue on wide-ranging civil aviation matters aimed at ensuring there is a sustainable and connected aviation environment for the Pacific.

As the only aviation-focused regional organisation in the Pacific, it was agreed that PASO will support and facilitate the Minister’s Meeting.

PASO will continue to work cooperatively with the PIFS, other CROP Agencies, non-PASO Members including the Northern Pacific States and French territories, and international aviation partners including the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) and the International Air Transport Association (IATA) to progress arrangements for the RAMM.  

A key focus of the Minister’s Meeting will be to seek agreement to develop a “Pacific Aviation Strategy” underpinned by a framework articulating regional aviation priorities. The proposed Strategy aims to address aviation safety and security oversight, international compliance, and capacity development.

This strategic approach is intended to enable conversations about a regional response to recommendations from ICAO’s Pacific Small Islands Developing States (PSIDS) Aviation Needs Analysis, amendments to the Pacific Islands Civil Aviation Safety and Security Treaty (PICASST), as well as the future direction and scope of PASO.

Another PASO Special Council Meeting is being scheduled for late March 2021 to confirm final arrangements and recommend a suite of actions for the Pacific Aviation Minister’s to consider and discuss. 

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.