The International Air Transport Association (IATA) announced that the inaugural World Safety and Operations Conference (WSOC) is scheduled to take place in Hanoi, Vietnam, from 19 to 21 September 2023.
It will be held under the theme ‘Leadership in Action: Driving Safer and More Efficient Operations’. Vietnam Airlines is the host airline for the event that brings together the previous Cabin Ops Safety Conference, the IATA Safety Conference and the Emergency Response Planning and Aircraft Recovery Forums.
“Borders are open, airports are busy, and flights are full. As we rebuild airline networks and balance sheets, it is vital that all aviation stakeholders maintain the same strong commitment to safe operations that we exercised during the pandemic years. The WSOC is the forum to discuss and debate today’s challenges and opportunities to keep the industry on a trajectory of improving safety and more efficient operations,” said Willie Walsh, IATA’s director general.
“Safety is aviation’s highest priority and is the cornerstone of all Vietnam Airlines’ operations and practices. We are excited to be the host airline for this important inaugural conference, bringing together cutting-edge leaders, regulators and a larger global community to address key topics relating to safety and infrastructure to ensure stronger safety operations in the wider industry,” said Le Hong Ha, president and CEO of Vietnam Airlines, who will participate in the WSOC Opening Plenary leadership panel, along with Walsh. Philippine Airlines president and COO Stanley K. Ng is also expected to join the conversation.
Session tracks are to address safety, cabin operations, flight operations and emergency response planning and aircraft recovery. Other topics to be covered include risk-based IATA Operational Safety Audit (IOSA), safety leadership and the IATA Safety Leadership Charter, runway safety, regional aircraft operations, learnings from recent accidents and incidents, cabin crew training and wellbeing, unruly passengers, digital transformation of aircraft flight and technical operations as well as performance based training.