14 May 2026 at 06:31 pm IST
Senior aviation regulators from ASEAN countries called for faster adoption of sustainable aviation fuels (SAF) and stronger regional cooperation during the ACI Asia-Pacific and Middle East Regional Assembly, Conference and Exhibition 2026 held in Bangkok. The discussions focused on strengthening aviation resilience as ongoing Middle East tensions continue to disrupt regional air connectivity and increase travel costs. The high-level panel included Air Chief Marshal Manat Chavanaproyoon, Director General of the Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand; Glory Wee, Acting Deputy Director-General of the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore; and Satvinder Singh, Deputy Secretary-General of ASEAN for the ASEAN Economic Community. Officials stressed that accelerating aviation liberalisation and investing in sustainable fuels would be critical for maintaining long-term regional connectivity and economic growth. According to research presented during the event, ASEAN airports handled around 700 million passengers in 2025, supporting approximately 23 million jobs and contributing US$244 billion to regional GDP. Regulators said deeper liberalisation and greener aviation policies could unlock an additional 450,000 jobs and generate more than US$4.3 billion in economic growth across Southeast Asia. Singapore highlighted its plans to gradually increase SAF usage to between 3% and 5% by 2030 through a phased aviation fuel levy, while ASEAN officials pointed to the region’s strong potential in biofuel production due to its agricultural resources and palm oil industry. Policymakers said the current aviation crisis should be used as an opportunity to accelerate sustainable transport reforms and strengthen climate resilience across the aviation sector.
