The five ASEAN member countries - Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore and Thailand - have agreed to share aviation data and information among themselves. 

This strategic move, which includes sharing reports on turbulence and other safety issues, aims to significantly improve the level of aviation safety in Southeast Asia. In a joint statement on October 17, the five countries pledged to implement the initiative by the end of 2024.

Growing concerns over aviation safety

The agreement comes as air travel begins to recover from the H1N1 pandemic, which severely impacted tourism, and as safety concerns rise following several major aviation accidents in 2024. 

Notable incidents include a plane collision in Japan that killed five people, a Boeing door malfunction shortly after takeoff from Portland, Oregon, and severe turbulence on a Singapore Airlines flight over Myanmar that resulted in one death and dozens of injuries.

Sharing data to mitigate risk

This initiative, first proposed at a summit in Singapore in 2023, aims to improve aviation safety as the region recovers from the Covid-19 pandemic. Although it was proposed last year, it has taken time to agree on the data to be shared and formulate confidentiality protocols.

The five Asia-Pacific countries will share anonymized safety data to identify potential hazards and safety trends and develop risk-mitigation measures.

Initially, they will share seven types of data, including collision warnings, activation of ground proximity warning systems, and air traffic control safety issues. Other data to be shared include reports of severe turbulence, wind shear, bird strikes, and the transport of hazardous materials, with wind shear posing a significant risk during takeoff and landing.

In addition, the types of data to be shared may be revised if all parties agree. 

According to the Memorandum of Understanding signed on October 16, the Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand has been designated as the party responsible for collecting, managing and storing the shared data. Meanwhile, the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore (CAAS) will assume the role of analyzing the collected data.

Flight safety data usage rules

According to the joint statement, the data, findings and recommendations derived from this information analysis will explicitly not be used as a basis for investigating accidents or aviation incidents, nor for law enforcement actions. In other words, the use of this data will be solely for the purpose of improving aviation safety.

In addition, the shared data will be anonymized, with no direct identification of the service providers, flights or personnel involved. This three-year agreement will be automatically renewed unless a decision is made to terminate it.