APAC Safety Seminar stresses human factors; AAPA warns of political impact

Human factors are critical to the safety of the aviation industry. This topic was a key highlight of the 2025 Asia Pacific Aviation Safety Seminar (APASS), hosted by the Association of Asia Pacific Airlines (APAA) and Philippine Airlines, September 10 to 11, 2025, in Manila, Philippines.

Another key takeaway from the two-day event was a warning issued by APAA that politics could undermine safety progress. 

Back after a seven-year pause, APASS is the Asia Pacific (APAC) region’s leading aviation safety forum. The event brings together airlines, airports, manufacturers, insurers, ground handlers, MROs, and suppliers to share updates and discuss the latest priorities in aviation safety.

On its website, AAPA describes APASS as an event designed “for airlines by airlines.” 

APASS promotes the exchange of ideas regarding critical aviation safety fundamentals and best practices, while fostering the sharing of operational experiences, lessons learned, and practical solutions among key aviation safety experts across the region.

New aviation safety issues

Over the past seven years, human factors have gained greater prominence in discussions about aviation safety. But a number of new challenges have also emerged. 

In an exclusive interview with AeroTime, AAPA Director General Subhas Menon noted that threats such as in-flight theft and runway excursions are inherent risks in aviation, as well as an increase in turbulence resulting from evolving weather conditions. 

Menon also identified spoofing in conflict zones as an emerging concern. In aviation, spoofing is a sophisticated cyber-attack that involves broadcasting counterfeit Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) signals to deceive an aircraft’s navigation system into determining incorrect position, velocity, or time data.

“With all the new risks that have been identified, the industry is advancing and keeping tabs to tackle the issues in the coming years,” Menon said.

Addressing these new concerns, APASS held panel discussions covering topics such as strengthening industry response to turbulence, conflict zone risk management best practices, runway safety addressing incursion and excursion risks, and GNSS/GPS spoofing.

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Elevating the importance of human factors

When discussing the importance of human factors in aviation, Menon said: “Aviation deals with human beings. The technology is there, but it’s human beings that are controlling and working with the technology.”

To stress its importance, day one of APASS was opened by a mandatory plenary session: ‘Beyond Crew Resource Management – Rethinking Human Factors in Aviation’.

One of the points raised during the session was how to implement crew resource management across different organizational and regional cultures. The discussion also invited companies and organizations to reflect on whether they are regarding human factors as a mere checkbox requirement and compliance issue, rather than an integrated part of design and process.

During the two-day safety seminar, multiple panel discussions also addressed mental health and human factors.

Among these were: Enhancing Crew Resource Management for Cabin Safety, Human Factors and Workload Management, and Managing Crew Fatigue and Passenger Well-Being on Long-Haul Flights.

One of the panel discussions, which explored ways to foster mental health resilience among cabin crew, was moderated by AeroTime lead APAC journalist Jean Carmela Lim, alongside speakers Katherine Ng, Head of Training for aviation consulting company One Crew, and Air India Boeing B787 Commander, Captain Geetanjali Khadria.

The session highlighted how companies are experiencing repercussions from their compliance-only approach to human factors, particularly as some recent fatal aviation accidents have been attributed to mental health concerns among flight crews.

The session also examined a real-life case study involving a crew member who died before a scheduled flight. While the company appropriately supported the deceased employee’s family, they failed to provide care for the remaining crew members.

Captain Khadria, who co-created Buddy@AI, Air India’s peer support program for pilot wellness, explained the importance of building a supportive community and how Air India is now in the process of creating a similar program for cabin crew. 

The speakers also emphasized the importance of individual self-awareness and led participants through mindfulness and emotional regulation exercises designed to help manage negative emotions in the workplace.

The critical role of the Asia Pacific Aviation Safety Seminar

In his opening speech to kickstart the two-day safety seminar, Menon reminded delegates that commercial aviation had celebrated its 80th anniversary in 2024.

“By 80, we think we have learned everything there is to learn,” he said “The only problem with that notion is that at 80, we are also prone to forgetfulness. That is why we need refreshers, such as this seminar, when all the participants in our intricate ecosystem come together to explore issues, fixes and actions.”

#image_titleReflecting on the history of aviation, Menon noted that the industry “rose from the embers” of World War Two with a commitment to serve the common good of humanity. However, he observed troubling signs that the world is now stepping back from this founding pledge to use aviation for humanitarian purposes.

“The past year, civilian airspace was closed and planes diverted due to warfare, too many times for our comfort. When militaries engage in GPS proofing to throw off their enemies and shoot at commercial planes, we wonder about the collective commitment to the ICAO pledge of 1944,” Menon said, referring to the International Civil Aviation Organization’s safe skies pledge.

“Suffice to say, the threats to aviation safety are real and sometimes emanate from the very sources that should be keeping us safe,” he added

“If the last eight months are any indication, then the next eight years are going to be really turbulent ones for the whole world. You know why? Because we are seeing protectionism and insularism appearing everywhere,” he continued. “Globalization, from which aviation has benefited as well as contributed to, is being trumped by conflicts as well as tariffs.”

“We cannot assume that things will get better, because they often don’t, but we can get better at what we do by sharing and raring to improve through seminars and forums such as this,” Menon concluded. The post APAC Safety Seminar stresses human factors; AAPA warns of political impact appeared first on AeroTime.

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