KUALA LUMPUR, September 25 — Aviation regulators from across Asia and the Pacific have wrapped up a week-long conference in the Malaysian capital with an unprecedented framework for tracking how States deliver on their safety, security, sustainability and capacity-building commitments. The Conference of Directors General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) of the Asia and Pacific Region opened in Kuala Lumpur on 7 September 2026 and drew directors general from 34 States, alongside more than 450 senior government officials, technical experts, and representatives from international organizations and industry.
ICAO Council President Toshiyuki Onuma and ICAO Secretary General Juan Carlos Salazar attended. The framework, delegates agreed, supports ICAO’s vision of air transport for all by 2050, with zero fatalities and net-zero carbon emissions, and will let States assess progress, identify challenges, and share expertise and resources.
What the delegates agreed
The conference produced 44 recommendations to guide implementation and acknowledged 21 related issues and priorities. Progress will be reviewed at next year’s DGCA Conference in Laos. On safety, the DGCA agreed to measures for safety oversight and risk management and to align national policy with regional safety targets.
States will expand participation in ICAO-recognized safety programmes, including ICAO’s programme for assessing the effectiveness of regional aviation safety and accident investigation organizations. They backed stronger data-sharing agreements, enhanced oversight of lithium battery shipments, new crew resource management standards, and measures covering fatigue risk management, aeromedical safety, civil-military coordination, and interference with satellite navigation systems.
Security enhancements cover cybersecurity, coordinated measures to counter risks from unmanned aircraft and Man-Portable Air Defence Systems (MANPADS), and the protection of cargo and mail networks. States will also adopt digital border identity systems, advance passenger data programmes and updated protocols for inadmissible passengers.
Climate commitments and regional coordination
Reaffirming their commitment to ICAO’s net-zero carbon emissions aspirations, the DGCA agreed to strengthen State Action Plans, as well as deployment of Sustainable Aviation Fuels (SAF) and Lower Carbon Aviation Fuels (LCAF), with expanded participation in ICAO climate and emissions programmes. They also reaffirmed support for CORSIA, ICAO’s global market-based measure for carbon emissions, and enhanced cooperation on climate adaptation. Delegates recognized the need to streamline air traffic coordination across borders, ensure supply chain resilience, and modernize air navigation systems.
They agreed to advance implementation of the Asia-Pacific Air Navigation Plan, address airspace and airport capacity constraints, and accelerate the deployment of new technologies such as trajectory-based operations. The conference featured a side event focused on partnerships around regional challenges, including issues impacting Small Island Developing States.
President Onuma declared that to continue expanding, aviation needs the right global policy framework, requiring active input and regional perspectives from Asia-Pacific States, especially as the region is the world’s largest air transport market. Secretary General Salazar remarked that ICAO will continue promoting air transport connectivity and liberalization across the APAC Region, recognizing aviation as a catalyst for economic integration, trade, tourism and sustainable development.
Malaysia’s Transport Minister Anthony Loke Siew Fook said the host nation is working to become a regional aviation hub, citing safety, modernization and partnership as priorities. The DGCA conference is a key regional forum under the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), the United Nations specialized agency for civil aviation, which sets global standards for aviation safety, security, and environmental protection.
ICAO’s strategic goals include safety, air navigation capacity and efficiency, security and facilitation, economic development of air transport, and environmental protection. With the Asia-Pacific standing as the world’s largest air transport market, its commitments carry weight well beyond the region. What to watch next is how States translate the 44 recommendations into national policy before the conference reconvenes in Laos.
