Singapore sets up center to advance sustainable aviation in Asia-Pacific region

The Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore announced July 10 that it has set up the Asia Pacific Sustainable Aviation Centre to advance sustainable aviation in the Asia-Pacific region through policy research, collaboration and capacity building.

CAAS Director-General Han Kok Juan chairs the center’s board.

Philip Goh has been appointed as the founding CEO.

An advisory council comprising senior executives from key partners in the aviation, energy and green-financing sectors—namely Airbus, Boeing, Chevron, ExxonMobil, GenZero, International Air Transport Association and Neste—has been set up to guide and direct the center in its work.

On July 14, CAAS, the advisory-council partners and the Asia Pacific Sustainable Aviation Centre will sign a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to formalize their collaboration to advance sustainable aviation through the center.

The signing will take place at the Global Aviation and Maritime Symposium, which will see the secretaries-general of the International Civil Aviation Organization and International Maritime Organization, transport ministers, senior officials and industry leaders from around the world gather in Singapore to discuss opportunities and challenges in a new global operating environment.

On the same day, CAAS, the advisory-council members and the center will also engage ICAO Secretary-General Juan Carlos Salazar and over 20 directors-general of civil aviation from the Asia-Pacific region in a roundtable on advancing sustainable aviation.

The Roundtable will discuss the sustainable aviation priorities and plans of Asia-Pacific states and civil-aviation authorities and how the center could support them.

Air travel demand in the Asia-Pacific region is expected to grow strongly and triple over the next 20 years, enabling economic development and supporting the aspirations of a rising middle-class to travel. 

At the same time, Asia-Pacific states are committed to climate action as an existential challenge and in support of the ICAO global long-term aspirational goal (LTAG) of net-zero carbon emissions for international aviation by 2050. 

The APSAC is set up to help Asia-Pacific states advance sustainable aviation in a pragmatic way that would achieve both development and sustainability goals.

It will: 

• Undertake policy research in areas such as cleaner aviation fuels, carbon accounting and carbon-market development and green financing.

• Facilitate collaboration across governments, industry and academia for joint studies and projects to advance sustainable aviation policies and plans for the Asia-Pacific region.

• Drive capability-building among governments and companies through technical assistance and training in areas of sustainable aviation policy development and implementation.

APSAC will pursue four immediate priorities in its first year.

First, it will engage Asia-Pacific states and civil-aviation authorities on their needs and plans for sustainable aviation and understand how it can support them.

Second, it will engage private sector and academia partners to bring together expertise and resources to help support sustainable aviation efforts in the region. In this regard, the advisory-council members will provide invaluable links to the wider sustainable aviation ecosystem through their respective networks.

Third, it will start joint projects, studies and trials with partners to support sustainable aviation policies for the region.

Fourth, it will curate and run capacity-building programs and conferences. The programs will equip aviation professionals with the requisite knowledge to drive sustainability initiatives within their respective organizations while the conferences will bring stakeholders together to form collaborative partnerships to advance sustainable aviation.

“Asia Pacific states want both growth and sustainability, not one at the expense of the other,” Han said. “The new center answers the ‘how’ question and seeks to provide individual states a menu of policy options and instruments to advance their aviation sustainability goals taking into account their respective national circumstances. I am delighted to have Philip Goh as the founding CEO and heartened by the strong support of our advisory-council partners and the organizations they represent. Their active participation is testament to their commitment to sustainable aviation and belief in the value such a center can bring to making sustainable aviation a reality in the Asia-Pacific region.”

Goh added, “It is an honor to have been appointed to lead this new organization. Aviation sustainability is an urgent priority, and I look forward to building up partnerships to work on regional projects and capacity-building programs, which can deliver tangible and meaningful outcomes for Asia-Pacific states.”