The International Air Transport Association announced Tuesday that the World Safety & Operations Conference will be hosted by Vietnam Airlines in Hanoi, Vietnam in September.

IATA is a trade association of the world’s airlines, representing around 300 airlines comprising 83% of global air traffic.

Safety & Efficiency

The conference will have the theme “Leadership in Action: Driving Safer & More Efficient Operations” and will take place between September 19 and 21.

“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,” said IATA Director General Willie Walsh in a press release.

Inaugural WSOC

This will be the first event of its kind, bringing together the previous Cabin Ops Safety Conference, the IATA Safety Conference and the Emergency Response Planning & Aircraft Recovery Forums.

“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,” Walsh said.

“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, the president and chief executive of Vietnam Airlines.

Forum Opening

Le Hong Ha will open the forum alongside Philippine Airlines President and COO Stanley Ng and IATA’s Walsh.

The forum will cover a myriad of topics, including runway safety, regional aircraft operations and learnings from recent accidents and incidents.

One topic for discussion will likely be the ease with which passengers can open the doors of the aircraft mid-flight at low altitudes. Although this is a safety feature, used in case of emergency, there have recently been two incidents where passengers have either opened, or attempted to open, an aircraft’s doors mid-flight.

The forum comes as air travel rebounds in Southeast Asia and beyond after the pandemic crippled the industry.