Sustainable pathway is key in maintaining PNG’s current aviation compliance standards

The PNG aviation sector is currently the best in the Asia-Pacific Region meeting the international compliance standard transport set by International Civil Aviation Organization [ICAO].

In a transport sub-Sectoral committee meeting today, Civil Aviation Safety Authority [CASA] Chief Executive Officer Benedict Oraka outlined some changes in PNG's aviation sector.

While explaining, Mr Oraka clarified the compliance with CASA's international safety standards.

"Amongst the whole of Asia- Pacific region, PNG is the only country at this time to comply 100% to international safety standards and best practices, this also includes other entities under the aviation industry. We comply 100 percent." Mr Oraka said.

While meeting the standards it's good for the aviation sector to ensure the standards are sustainable.

Mr Oraka said sustainability is a key area they are working in collaboration with the different stakeholders including Air Niugini.

One important area he highlighted was the training aspect of aviation personnel and a better pathway to bring in Papua New Guineans and provide essential training.

This is to create a sustainable pathway going forward.

"We continue to work with Air Niugini to provide training to aviation staff.

"We also made submissions to the Department of Personnel Management [DPM] to increase the staffing number for CASA to ensure sustainability, it is also to ensure we retain the staff.

"Our staff ceiling at the moment is 104, over the next four years we expect to increase up to 124," He added.