CIVIL AND MILITARY AIRWORTHINESS CHALLENGES IN ASIA

Aviation is one of the most regulated industries in the world. The massive expansion and growth of aviation in the South-East Asia region has brought up many challenges in ensuring airworthiness of aircraft, both in the civil and military aviation domain. These challenges not only affect the safe operations of aircraft but also result in various issues in the areas of cost, infrastructure, human capital and resources. From the point of view of civil aviation, local authorities in the region have taken several initiatives to tackle these challenges, based on the foundations laid out by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO). When it comes to military aviation, agencies, such as the Directorate General Technical Airworthiness (DGTA) of Malaysia, have initiated the regulation of the compliance of military aircraft operations. There has also been an increased focus on awareness of the importance of airworthiness and safety as well as the development of a risk-based approach which is both proactive and cost-efficient.