Pilot associations from across the Asia-Pacific region met in Tokyo for the regional meeting of the International Federation of Air Line Pilots’ Associations (IFALPA), which included a joint session with air traffic controllers on safety collaboration and data integration, according to an IFALPA social media post.

ALPA Japan hosted the meeting, which marks its 50th anniversary. ALPA Japan had said it would host the Asia Pacific Regional Meeting in Japan for the first time, which was held jointly with the regional meeting of the International Federation of Air Traffic Controllers’ Associations (IFATCA). 

Captain Jaffar Hassan, IFALPA Executive Vice-President for Asia-Pacific, highlighted the federation’s participation in the 61st ICAO APAC Directors General of Civil Aviation Conference. Regional vice-presidents reported on developments in their areas and discussed ways to strengthen advocacy by member associations.

Several sessions covered pilot mental health and peer support. Dr Kate Manderson of the Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) spoke on the mental health burden among aviation workers, Dr Keiko Nakahama on critical incident response, and Capt Lee Choong Sub of ALPA Korea on overcoming barriers to reporting. Panels also discussed building sustainable peer support programmes through training, reporting systems and appropriate psychological intervention.

Capt Jose Fernandez of the Flight Safety Foundation presented the foundation’s activities in the region and encouraged pilots to join its fatigue management and peer support project.

Other presentations included:

Senior First Officer Badraa Baatar of ALPA Mongolia, who described an August safety seminar titled “From Compliance to Culture”, held with IFALPA.

Capt Reza Nugraha of Ikatan Pilot Indonesia (IPI), who reported on advocacy work, including a paper drafted to advance the concerns of Indonesian pilots.

Capt Omar Garcia, an IFALPA executive vice-president, who updated delegates on the federation’s strategic plan.

Gordon Margison, IFALPA’s technical director, who invited member associations to contribute to the federation’s positive safety culture toolkit.

Capt Marcus Diamond of AusALPA, who presented Australian case studies under the title “Closing the PSC Loop”. The post said the case studies showed that trust is a continuous cycle that must be sustained at every level, from the board to the flight deck.

Ang Kheng Wee of IAFPA and Changi Airport Group briefed delegates on airport rescue and firefighting at Changi, including pilot-fire service communication.

The meeting closed with a panel on empowering women pilots in the region, moderated by Capt Louise Pole, IFALPA Regional Vice-President for the South Pacific.

IFALPA said IPI will host the 2027 Asia-Pacific Regional Meeting.