Building a more resilient Regulatory Oversight System for the Pacific Island Member States – ICAO Asia Pacific Regional Training Symposium.
PASO joined over 400 aviation leaders, academics, training experts, HR professionals, industry partners, and youth representatives from across the Asia Pacific and beyond who gathered in Singapore for the inaugural ICAO Asia Pacific Regional Training Symposium from 16 to 17 July 2025.
Jointly hosted by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) and the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore (CAAS), the Symposium was officially opened by Ms Sun Xueling, Singapore’s Senior Minister of State for Transport and National Development, and Mr Juan Carlos Salazar, ICAO Secretary General, at the Suntec Convention Centre.
This event marked a key milestone under the ICAO Asia Pacific Regional Training Cooperation Framework (RTCF), established in 2024 to foster stronger collaboration between civil aviation authorities, training organizations, and industry stakeholders across the region.
Held under the theme “Enhancing Training Cooperation: Building Human Capital for the Sustainable Development of Civil Aviation,” the Symposium focused on aligning training to evolving industry needs, strengthening workforce support policies, and implementing targeted strategies to bridge regional skills gaps. The event also showcased cutting-edge advancements in aviation training, including the integration of artificial intelligence, virtual and augmented reality, and advanced simulation technologies to improve training outcomes and operational readiness.
PASO’s Head of Quality Management, Mr. George Tudreu, participated in Discussion Panel 4, where he presented the unique regulatory challenges faced by Pacific Small Island Developing States (PSIDS) in fully implementing the eight ICAO Critical Elements.
Mr. Tudreu emphasised that, although aviation activity in the region is comparatively low, PSIDS are still held to the same ICAO obligations as larger states and highlighted four core needs common across the region:
- The need for consistent and effective regulatory capability
- A qualified and sustainable aviation workforce
- Infrastructure that enables ICAO compliance, despite significant geographical and financial constraints
- Strategies to bridge the human resource gap between smaller and larger regulatory bodies
In efforts to address these challenges, PASO has shifted to a more coordinated, regionally harmonized oversight model. In 2025, PASO formalized the Comprehensive Oversight Implementation Framework (COIF) – a shared system of policies, procedures, aviation documents and oversight tools based on the New Zealand Rule Parts and aligned with ICAO’s USOAP CMA framework. The objective is for the framework to establish a scalable and sustainable pathway to regulatory compliance in that it will provide shared inspector resources, harmonized training, improve audit readiness, build inter- state operational oversight systems and reduce duplication.
A pilot is currently underway with one Member State, with plans for a progressive rollout to all its members.
PASO acknowledges ICAO’s role in championing regional innovation and the support of our strategic partners working alongside PASO to build a more resilient and collaborative oversight workforce across the Pacific.
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