MACL CEO and MD Address to Delegates of CANSO Asia Pacific Conference

The following is the Address given by MACL CEO and MD Mr.Mohamed Ibrahim to the delegates of Asia Pacific Conference which was hosted by MACL in Kurumba Resorts, Maldives from 1 May to 3 May.

His Excellency, President of the Maldives, Dr. Mohamed Waheed Hassan, Distinguished Delegates, Ladies and Gentlemen,

On behalf of Maldives Airports Company, let me wish you all a warm welcome to Maldives and to this conference. It is an honor to be the host for this year’s CANSO Asia-Pacific Conference. Our pride in hosting this event is evident by His Excellency the President’s presence, as the first ever head of state to attend and deliver key note address in a CANSO Conference. Thank you, Mr. President, for sharing your valuable time with us. Let me also take this opportunity to thank the CANSO Asia Pacific Office for giving us this opportunity to host this year’s conference in the Maldives.

I would like to take a moment to express our gratitude to Greg Russel, for his valuable contributions as the Chairman of CANSO Asia Pacific CEO Committee. I would also like to recognize the recent assistance provided for Maldives Airports Company by Air Services Australia. I congratulate the newly elect Chairman, Ong Heng Yap, Director General, CAAS. On a similar note I welcome and congratulate Samantha Sharif, Interim Director General of CANSO. And last but not the least, I welcome Mokhtar Awan, Regional Director, ICAO Asia-Pacific Office, for joining us for this conference.

Distinguished delegates, ladies and gentleman

It is very fortunate that we get to host this conference with the theme, ‘transforming ATM performance for sustainable growth’, which is particularly relevant for our country. As you may well be aware, our unique geographical makeup poses multiple challenges for ensuring sustainability, both from an economic and an environmental perspective. I hope this conference gives us the opportunity to get guidance from the ANSPs, regulatory agencies and suppliers on such issues as appropriate surveillance and air navigation systems suited for our environment.

Distinguished delegates, ladies and gentleman

As I stand here, I cannot think of a more fitting venue for this conference than Kurumba Maldives, which is considered the beginning of the country’s booming tourism industry.

Kurumba Maldives was the first resort built in the Maldives, just forty years back, and in many ways, it set a unique trend for the tourism industry of island nations worldwide- the one island one resort concept. A major contributor to the growth of the industry had been the expansion of air transport services, specifically, the sea plane operations. Starting with just two sea planes in 1993, the country now has the biggest fleet of sea planes, exceeding 40 in number. Sea planes have proven to be a very sensible and appropriate air transport alternative for the country.

Mr. President, As a small island nation with widely dispersed island communities, building sustainable transport systems, be it air or sea, continues to be a challenge. Developing an effective air transport system is, no doubt, essential for the country’s development.

Not only it is necessary for the growth and expansion of the tourism industry, it is also vital for promoting healthy, vibrant and mobile island communities. Access to quality health care, for example, cannot be provided in all island communities. Emergency access to health care, however, is possible through efficient air transport. But at the same time, building airports to cater to the whole country requires huge capital. With such a widely dispersed population, there is also the question of whether there is adequate demand to sustain the airports that are built.

With these challenges in mind, it may be worthwhile to consider how we can utilize the experience of sea plane operations within the nation’s air transport system. A modest number of airports, combined with networks of sea plane operations could be the answer for building a successful and sustainable air transport system for the country. I am confident the current policy makers are committed to consider such options in developing policies for sustainable, practical and accessible air transport systems.

Furthermore, I strongly believe economic feasibility has to be considered along with safety when setting standards. For example, the current standards for domestic airports, even the ones that have less than one flight a day, to have air traffic controllers is expensive, to say the least. To support toward sustainable air transport, I feel that it is essential for the newly established Maldives Civil Aviation Authority to reconsider requirements for such airports learning from examples set by other countries. We have to have the will to embrace change along with new technologies available to us.

Distinguished delegates, ladies and gentleman

I am confident that this conference will be a forum for fruitful discussions that brings positive impact to the air traffic management within the Asia Pacific region.  I hope you have a pleasant stay here in Maldives. We regret that we could not accommodate all the delegates in this lovely resort. But unfortunately, Kurumba Maldives proves to be too popular, even during what we consider the ‘off peak’ months. But I do hope you get to take the full advantage of your stay and enjoy the ‘sunny side of life’.  Thank you and wish you all the best.