Singapore has laid out plans to better position the city state as an aviation hub and make it ready for the future, as the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore unveiled the Air Transport Industry Transformation Map 2025 in early August.
Developed by the CAAS in consultation with industry and unions, the Air Transport ITM 2025 comprises four key strategies to position the Singapore air hub for growth. These include building a safe and sustainable air hub, transforming airport operations, innovating at the forefront of aviation, developing a future-ready and resilient workforce.
To promote high standards of safety for aviation, CAAS will collaborate with the Asia Pacific Centre for Aviation Safety to carry out research and studies to provide industry and regulators with a deeper understanding of safety challenges, and build capabilities in technology, data analytics and safety management processes to advance aviation safety in the region.
To enhance efficiency in airport operations, CAAS said weather-resilient robotics systems and platforms that can operate in outdoor conditions are being developed to support aircraft turnaround operations and baggage handling. Trials on the use of automatic vehicles to transport baggage and cargo at the airside are also progressing well, the group said, with plans to start small fleet operations by 2024.
Keeping up with the latest innovations, CAAS also plans to launch regional unmanned systems collaboration and showcase platforms for regulators, industry and public to discuss regulatory issues, network and enhance public acceptance.
The group is also set to publish a Sustainable Air Hub Blueprint to drive decarbonisation efforts across airport, airline and air traffic management through policies and regulations, industry development, infrastructure planning and provision and workforce transformation. These initiatives include the expansion of renewable energy adoption, converting airport vehicles to cleaner energy options, sustainable design of infrastructure such as Terminal 5, driving the adoption of sustainable aviation fuels, and implementing operational improvements in air traffic management.
To support the implementation of Air Transport ITM 2025, CAAS said it will work with industry and unions to strengthen the pipeline of entrants into the sector. This will include promoting aviation together with organisations through career fairs to make the industry more attractive to the future workforce, as well as redesigning airport operations roles to provide the opportunity to take on higher value-added roles in automation control and safety oversight. The Air Transport ITM 2025 is one of 23 sectoral ITMs to be refreshed under the ongoing efforts led by the Future Economy Council.
