Page 26 - AAA JULY - AUGUST 2013 Online Magazine

FeATure TrAining

All this investment in training looks safety performance, says Herdman. We are pleased
like it is paying off, according to Andrew “This certainly includes MRO activities, to expand our … new
Herdman, director general of the with equipment failures or maintenance
Association of Asia Pacific Airlines (AAPA). related issues accounting for a relatively training facility focused
“There is an extremely good track record small proportion of accidents and other on the rapidly growing
of continuous improvements in safety safety related incidents,” he notes. market in South East
performance,” he says. “Such gains have Certainly MRO is ahead of the game in
been achieved through close collaboration terms of applied safety – which can only Asia.
of everyone involved in the industry, mean that training standards are well
including airlines, manufacturers, MRO advanced across the region. And growing. – filippo Bagnato, ATR CEO
providers, all working closely with “Over time, with the help of AFI KLM
regulators providing the necessary E&M, we are targeting to create an
assurances on overall safety oversight.” engineering centre of excellence for
Herdman says. [787 Dreamliners] aircraft right here in
Even though the regional industry has Brunei,” says Dermot Mannion, Deputy
doubled in size roughly every 15 years, Chairman of Royal Brunei Airlines. “This
and despite intense economic and other is an important step in the entry into ABOVE: ATR simulator in
competitive pressures, it has maintained service processes for our new fleet.” Singapore, one of many
a focus on safety as number one priority When Brunei gets into MRO training, cutting-edge tools used to
and delivered ongoing improvements in you know it’s a good business to be in. train pilots and crew
26 ASIAN AIRLINES & AIRPORTS JULY / AUGUST 2013 WWW.ASIANAIRLINES-AIRPORTS.COM