Air Accident Investigation Exchange Forum 2025 deepens regional collaboration on aviation safety (with photos)
The Air Accident Investigation Exchange Forum 2025, hosted by the Air Accident Investigation Authority (AAIA) in Hong Kong for three consecutive days from March 12, concluded today (March 14). Other participating investigation authorities were the Office of Aviation Safety and the Aviation Accident Investigation Center of the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC), the Transport Safety Investigation Bureau (TSIB) of Singapore and the Accident Prevention and Investigation Group of the Civil Aviation Authority of Macao (AACM).
This regional forum was the first of its kind organised by the AAIA since its inception in 2018. Riding on the theme “Regional Investigative Synergy, Aviation Safety Excellence”, the forum attracted professional representatives from investigation authorities from the Mainland, Singapore, Macao and Hong Kong. It aimed to deepen regional ties, share forefront investigation experiences, exchange latest investigation methodologies and technological advancements with a view to strengthening aviation safety.
Deputy Secretary for Transport and Logistics Ms Joan Hung welcomed and thanked the distinguished representatives for joining the forum in Hong Kong. She said that the forum’s foundation was actually underpinned by the close collaboration among the investigation authorities of the four places over the years, symbolising their mutual commitment in enhancing aviation safety. The Chief Accident and Safety Investigator of the AAIA, Mr Man Ka-chai, highlighted in his keynote speech the significance of fostering mutual collaboration among the authorities in safeguarding aviation safety. The forum, he said, served as a dynamic interactive platform for partner authorities to deliberate the best solutions to the latest challenges in civil aviation investigations.
The Safety Oversight Commissioner of the CAAC and Director of the CAAC Office of Aviation Safety, Captain Zhu Tao; the Director of TSIB of Singapore, Mr Michael Toft; and the President of the AACM, Mr Stanley Pun, also delivered speeches at the forum.
Through a series of presentations, case studies and thematic seminars, this three-day forum allowed participating guests to share their insights and delve into the latest investigation techniques, human factors analyses and methods of introducing the evaluation of organisational/systematic factors into investigative processes, etc. The participants also visited the Airport Meteorological Office of the Hong Kong Observatory and inspected the aircraft accident recovery equipment and supporting tools managed by the Airport Authority Hong Kong to learn more about the supportive measures in place at Hong Kong International Airport for safeguarding aviation safety.
The AAIA had established co-operation arrangements with the CAAC, TSIB of Singapore and AACM individually to strengthen the regional collaborative ties, covering exchanges and sharing of information, experiences, facilities and equipment. The co-operation arrangements are available at the AAIA webpage (www.tlb.gov.hk/aaia/eng/about_us/cooperation_arrangements/index.html).
