Aviation Outlook Summit 2007 Calls On

Aviation Outlook Summit 2007 calls on Asian airline sector to lead the way

At the recent 2007 Aviation Outlook Summit, the Centre for Asia Pacific Aviation’s (CAPA) Executive Chairman Peter Harbison has called on the Asian airline industry to lead the way for deregulation and regulatory change.

In a report from the CAPA, Harbison appealed to all members of the Asian airline sector at the recent Summit to pave the way in the 21st century for the aviation industry.

While the Asian Pacific aviation industry is set to become the global leader in air traffic, this move is being prevented by regulations on national ownership and rules governing market entry.

Other challenges faced by the industry include the issue of climate change as well as the lack of skilled workers.

At the Summit, Harbison also spoke about AirAsia’s recent moves from being a solely Malaysian body to operating in Thailand and Indonesia and soon, Vietnam. These, he said, were directly responsible for prompting the Malaysian government to allow the airline to contend with the state-run airline on long haul routes from Kuala Lumpur.

While deregulation has not been welcomed throughout the entire Asian aviation region, Japan and Korea have signed a restricted open skies agreement and Japan, through its Asian Gateway Programme, have begun opening up entry at secondary airports.

Harbison also encouraged law-making bodies to continue moving towards deregulation, in particular for the low-cost sector.

"The industry can point the way – and it must, but the road must be built by the regulators," he said.

Peter