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Safety Management Forum 2025 - Reflection
A Collective Step Forward to Elevate Aviation Safety
By Strategic Safety Office of Civil Aviation Department (CAD)
The Safety Management Forum 2025 organised by CAD on 23 October 2025, themed "Elevating Aviation Safety: A Journey Together" has united over 200 aviation safety leaders and professionals from a wide spectrum to strengthen safety management capability across the industry in Hong Kong.
The forum brought Hong Kong's aviation community together in a spirit of shared learning and collaboration, and served as a powerful reminder that safety is a continuous commitment, which we must uphold together.
Session 1 – Safety Commitments
Our SMS Journey: Safety Commitments and Positive Safety Culture
By Strategic Safety Office of Civil Aviation Department (CAD)Moderator Capt. Bradley Pieters, CAD’s Flight Operations Inspector led the panel discussions with senior leaders from Cathay Pacific Airways (CPA), Hong Kong Airlines (CRK) and Greater Bay Airlines (HGB) on airlines’ insights and expertise in Safety Management Systems (SMS) and safety reporting practices, underscoring the importance of positive safety culture and collaboration in advancing safety.
A key takeaway was that safety transcends rules and procedures. It's a living culture that starts from the top and empowers every individual to speak up and do the right thing. Our speakers highlighted how the industry is evolving from simply collecting more safety reports to focusing on their quality. The goal is to extract meaningful safety intelligence that drives organizational improvement.
Closing the feedback loop emerged as a critical success factor. When frontline personnel see their reports have led to tangible changes, they become more engaged in the safety journey. Some shared innovative trials using AI to better identify operational risks from reports, demonstrating how technology can support human in developing safety intelligence.
The forum also explored newer safety concepts that may add a human touch to SMS. Rather than focusing solely on rare failures, these approaches encourage us to learn from daily successes, and understand what goes right in order to recreate those conditions consistently.
As one speaker aptly noted, "Solutions aren't one-size-fits-all". Approaches can be tailored to each organization's unique context.
Session 2 – Change Management
Our SMS Journey : Change Management
Mastering Change Management
Moderator Ir MH Hui, Assistant Director-General of Civil Aviation (Air Traffic Management) of CAD guided the sharing by senior leaders from the Airport Authority Hong Kong (AAHK) and CAD’s Air Traffic Management Division.
Using the Three-Runway System (3RS) as a compelling real-world case study, the Panel provided valuable insights into how large-scale and complex changes can be safely managed while keeping the efficient operations of a busy airport like the Hong Kong International Airport.
The 3RS project demonstrates that with effective SMS frameworks and systematic planning, robust collaboration, as well as safety integrated into every transformation phase, remarkable outcomes can be achieved. The 3RS experience offers a proven blueprint for handling major changes while maintaining the highest safety standards.
Moving Forward Together
The forum reinforced that safety is everyone's responsibility which must start from top leadership. From the cockpit to the control tower, from maintenance hangars to management offices, every person and organisation play a vital role in maintaining Hong Kong's world-class aviation safety standards.
The theme has united stakeholders in renewing safety commitments. To enhance the industry’s capability for meeting future challenges, it is imperative that we continue our pursuit for achieving safety excellence on top of the solid foundation built over the years with positive safety culture.
Let us carry forward the spirit of sharing and continuous improvement from the forum's discussions, and continue our journey to elevate aviation safety together. We are grateful to all participants and speakers for contributing to this important conversation.
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