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Regional Airlines Association hosted Turboprop and Regional Jet Safety Exchange
July 9th 2026
The Association of Asia Pacific Airlines (AAPA) said it successfully hosted the Asia Pacific Turboprop and Regional Jet Safety Exchange last week. Read More » The event brought together around 15 regional operators, aircraft manufacturers, and industry partners to share operational safety experiences, emerging trends, and best practices. “The virtual forum provided a dedicated platform for operators of turboprop and regional jet aircraft to discuss the unique operational challenges associated with regional aviation across the Asia Pacific. Participants exchanged information on safety performance, operational trends, training, human performance, and future priorities aimed at further strengthening aviation safety,” AAPA said. The meeting was attended by operators from across the region, together with aircraft manufacturers ATR, Embraer, and De Havilland Aircraft of Canada, with ATR and Embraer sharing manufacturers’ perspectives on operational safety and training.
Regional and turboprop operations are essential to the connectivity and economic development of many communities across the Asia Pacific. While these operations often present unique operational challenges, they also provide significant opportunities for collaboration. Today’s Safety Exchange demonstrates the willingness of operators, manufacturers, and industry partners to openly share experiences and work collectively to further strengthen aviation safety across the region, the Chairman, Captain Somchai Sopanon from Bangkok Airways, said during the event.
The AAPA said that a key feature of the meeting was the confidential exchange of aggregated operational safety information submitted by participating operators. The anonymized information exchange enabled participants to identify common operational themes, discuss lessons learned, and consider opportunities for collaborative safety improvements without identifying individual airlines.
Currently, the AAPA is leading two regional initiatives: 1. The development of the Asia Pacific Flight Path Management Manual, led by the Flight Safety Foundation, and 2. Asia Pacific Crew Resource Management (CRM) Manual, a collaborative initiative involving regulators, airlines, an aircraft manufacturer, training organizations, and academia. Recently presented to ICAO’s Asia/Pacific Regional Aviation Safety Team (APRAST), the Manual provides practical guidance and aims to further strengthen aviation safety across the Asia Pacific, especially in the area of human factors.
“The Safety Exchange reaffirmed AAPA’s commitment to providing practical forums that encourage collaboration, facilitate the sharing of operational experience and support continuous improvement in aviation safety throughout the Asia Pacific region,” the Association concluded.
