Shri Samir Kumar Sinha, Secretary, Ministry of Civil Aviation inaugurated the four-day Asia Pacific Accident Investigation Group (APAC- AIG) meeting along with workshop (28-31 October 2025) at Vigyan Bhawan beginning here today. The inaugural session was attended by all important dignitaries from Ministry of Civil Aviation; AAIB, India; DGCA, India and delegates from ICAO APAC Regional office and foreign delegates from Asia Pacific Accident Investigation Authorities.

Shri GVG Yugandhar, DG, AAIB in his welcome remarks brought out the active participation of AAIB, India in the ICAO Safety Initiatives. Information paper on “Prevention of Controlled Flight into Terrain (CFIT) accidents on approach” at the 42^nd ICAO General Assembly, importance of timely implemenetation of safety recommendations for accident prevention and participation in the Clear Air Turbulance investigation of Singapore Airlines.

The DG, AAIB has advised the investigators to work towards reducing the absolute number of accidents globally through thorough investigations and providing recommendations. He had offered the Indian aviation laboratory facilities to the member states for defect investigation. Shri GVG Yugandhar encouraged foreign delegates to explore rich cultural heritage of India and Yoga for healthy lifestyle. A book containing Y-Break and regular Yoga mobile application of Ministry of Ayush were gifted to all delegates. Guided tour to Akshar Dham temple in New Delhi has been scheduled for all delegates on 29 October 2025.

Mr Stuart Godley, Chairman, ICAO APAC-AIG and Secretary, Mr Anam had addressed the delegates. They mentioned that the meeting will promote the sharing of expertise, experience, and information among accident/incident investigation authorities with an aim to develop and strengthen cooperation among them to improve the accident/incident investigation capability in the Asia and Pacific Regions. The Chairman re-itrated the importance of implementation of safety recommendation. He also thanked AAIB, India and Government of India for agreeing to hosting the event.

The Secretary, Ministry of Civil Aviation in his address mentioned that India has adopted the Standards of ICAO Annex 13 in the form of the Aircraft (Investigation of Accidents & Incidents) Rules, 2017 for conducting the aircraft accident investigations in India. Shri Samir Kumar Sinha mentioned the plans for capacity building in Indian Aviation ecosystem which includes settingup of National Aviation Safety Center at Jewar, commencement of USOAP auditors courses at RGNAU, salient features of Bharatiya Vayuyan Adhiniyam 2024 in strengthening of DGCA and AAIB and doubling the nuber of officers in these organisations. He appreciated the performance of  DGCA and AAIB in the ICAO audits. Delved on Global and Regional Safety trends.

Message of Union Minister of Civil Aviation, Shri Kinjarapu Rammohan Naidu was readout by Shri GVG Yugandhar. He mentioned that this year’s meeting is particularly special as it is being hosted in India for the first time and expressed that India is honored to welcome the participants for this 13th gathering of APAC AIG. He mentioned that the Asia Pacific region has already been setting benchmarks in safety oversight and accident prevention through collaborative efforts among member states. The salient points from the message are, the region’s accident rate has consistently remained lower than the global average over the past decade, reflecting the collective commitment and professionalism of all stakeholders involved. India’s remarkable progress in Effective implementation of ICAO SARPS and the score now stands at 85 percent, a significant improvement from 70 percent in 2018, elevating India’s global ranking from 112 to 55. India being world’s third-largest and one of the fastest-growing aviation markets, stands on an extraordinary growth trajectory under the visionary leadership of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi. Indian aviation sector’s expansion brings with it a significant responsibility to ensure that safety remains paramount. The plan is to establish 350 to 400 airports by the year 2047 which symbolizes opportunities, growth and connectivity, but equally, it demands unwavering focus on maintaining the highest standards of air safety. The session ended with vote of thanks by Director, AAIB Shri Ramesh Babu.

***

SK/DK/SB

(Release ID: 2183540) Visitor Counter : 179