ICAO says aviation growth in Asia-Pacific region to exceed global rate, but need to maintain focus on safety

Air passenger traffic growth in Asia-Pacific is expected to outpace the global average over the next 5-10 years, but it is crucial to maintain focus on safety and sustainability in the region, the International Civil Aviation Organization said on Wednesday.

"The Asia-Pacific aviation sector has demonstrated remarkable resilience despite facing the challenges of the global pandemic. The region has emerged stronger and more adaptable. Safety measures should keep pace with the region's expanding aviation sector," ICAO Council president Salvatore Sciacchitano said in New Delhi at the 2nd ICAO Asia-Pacific ministerial conference.

Aviation safety continued to improve despite the operational challenges of the pandemic recovery, ICAO said last month. The organisation’s safety report for scheduled commercial air travel shows that the fatality rate dropped to 17 people per billion passengers in 2023, down from 50 people per billion passengers in 2022. The global accident rate decreased to 1.87 accidents per million departures in 2023, down from 2.05 in 2022.

"In early 2024, traffic in Asia-Pacific was 2% above 2019 figures. More interestingly, it is projected to have a 9% growth rate per year over the next five years while the global average rate will be approximately 6%," Sciacchitano said.

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While the region has enormous potential, the ICAO Council president said challenges such as inadequate implementation of global standards require immediate attention.

"As of March 2024, 19 out of 37 audit states in the region were below global average in implementing global standards. This is particularly crucial given the region's rapid aviation growth," he added.

The first ministerial conference of the Asia-Pacific region was held in Beijing in 2018. India volunteered to host the second conference in 2020, but it was postponed due to the covid-19 pandemic. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected to address the conference on Thursday.

India’s aviation market is the fastest growing in the world and more than doubled to 152 million passengers in 2023 from 61.4 million passengers in 2013, crossing pre-covid levels.

Indian market

Indian carriers expanded their share of total overseas traffic in the domestic market to 45.6% in the April-June quarter from 43.9% a year earlier and 35% in the same quarter during 2019, according to data from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation. The share of foreign airlines shrank to 54.4% from 56% a year ago.

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"India's airport infrastructure has expanded significantly in the past decade, with the number of operational airports increasing from 74 in 2014 to 157 in 2024. We have an ambitious plan to scale this up to 300-400 airports by 2047," Union aviation minister Ram Mohan Naidu said.

Global aviation leaders at the conference welcomed the 9 September decision of the Goods and Services Tax Council to exempt import of services by foreign airline companies.

"It was becoming an issue of concern to international airlines, and it is great to see that the issue now appears to be resolved. So, a very positive development," International Airport Transport Association director general Willie Walsh told Mint on the sidelines of the conference.

Montreal-based ICAO is a United Nations agency that helps 193 countries to cooperate and share their skies to mutual benefit. It coordinates the principles and techniques of international air navigation and fosters the planning and development of air transport to ensure safe and orderly growth.

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