Green security and safety for sustainable aviation is one of the biggest current and future challenges facing the civil aviation industry. Investing in modern, shared digital technologies and platforms is essential. However, for sustainable development, Vietnamese aviation also needs to invest in raising awareness, especially for future generations.
With that spirit in mind, the Vietnam Civil Aviation Authority has implemented a series of exchange and knowledge-sharing programs for students in many places across the country, starting from Cam Ranh...
The schoolyard of Ngo Gia Tu High School in Cam Ranh City was quiet on a September morning in 2024 as they listened to a touching story about President Ho Chi Minh: "On August 30, 1969, just two days before the passing of our beloved President Ho Chi Minh, he was seriously ill, and doctors and members of the Politburo were constantly at his bedside. Upon regaining consciousness, he immediately asked Prime Minister Pham Van Dong about the flooding situation on the Red River. The Prime Minister, not daring to hide anything from him, told him: 'Your Excellency, the rain is very heavy, the floodwaters are still rising and have not receded. The government wants to take you to a safe place to continue resting and receiving treatment.' When Prime Minister Pham Van Dong made this suggestion, how did President Ho Chi Minh respond? 'I am not going anywhere; I will stay in Hanoi with the people.'"
The insightful and engaging Q&A session made over 1600 students forget that this was a program to promote and disseminate legal knowledge and humanistic values. For the organizers, the best security barrier for Cam Ranh Airport is the people's support, not money or material possessions. The students' innocent yet accurate answers prompted much reflection from the adults present.
Representatives from the Vietnam Civil Aviation Authority stated that in 2019, the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) granted the Vietnam Civil Aviation Authority Level 1 (CAT1) aviation safety oversight capability. This means that the Vietnam Civil Aviation Authority has achieved Level 1 safety oversight capability according to U.S. standards.
Every flight of any Vietnamese airline, from the national airline Vietnam Airlines to Vietjet, is subject to the strictest safety monitoring according to world-leading standards. The representative further revealed that currently, only Singapore and Vietnam in Southeast Asia have achieved this CAT1 standard. And achieving both safety and sustainable development is the biggest goal that Vietnamese aviation always strives for.
Along with the ongoing global digital transformation, Vietnam's civil aviation industry has deployed shared digital platforms such as ACDM, PBN, and ADSB... with the aim of contributing to higher levels of safety and security, reducing costs for airlines, and improving the management, operation, and safe flight control capabilities. At the same time, these technologies also help aircraft operate more safely, efficiently, and effectively, thereby reducing CO2 emissions into the environment during civil aviation activities at airports, contributing to building an image of safe, civilized, courteous, modern, green, and sustainable airports.
However, in fulfilling international commitments on environmental protection and sustainable development, Vietnamese airlines (Vietnam Airlines, Vietjet , Bamboo Airways, Viettravel Airlines, Pacific Airlines) will be directly impacted by the implementation of CORSIA, both in the voluntary and mandatory phases. CORSIA (or the Carbon Reduction and Offsetting Plan for International Flights) is a long-term plan issued by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), with a voluntary phase from 2024 to 2026 and a mandatory phase from 2027 to 2035, aiming to achieve net-zero emissions on international passenger flights (which account for more than 60% of the total emissions of the global aviation industry).
Participating in Corsia from the voluntary phase would create significant financial challenges for Vietnamese airlines. According to one forecast, if Vietnam Airlines participates in the voluntary phase, the cost of purchasing credits and offsetting carbon could reach $162 million between 2024 and 2026.
However, Vietnam Airlines is also actively working to improve and participate in accordance with its commitments to the international community regarding environmental protection and sustainable development. It is expected that Vietnam Airlines will report to the Ministry of Transport, which will then submit a proposal to the Prime Minister to participate in Corsia on a voluntary basis starting January 1, 2026.
Even Mr. Nguyen Minh Khoi, Deputy Director of Cam Ranh International Airport, was surprised by the students' understanding of a field that seemed completely new to them. To protect the environment in the field of civil aviation, aviation businesses will have to sacrifice profits to compensate for the environmental impact of their operations. And one student, when answering the question, said: "For the future of the next generations, if I become a parent someday, I will also be willing to make sacrifices to give the best to future generations," just like Uncle Ho, like my grandparents, parents, or teachers at school...
As the Vietnamese aviation industry invests in and implements modern aviation security control systems such as automated screening, biometrics, and automated check-in to improve security and safety and increase passenger satisfaction, what new challenges will arise?
Even aviation experts were surprised by the answer from a 10th-grade student, who argued that the system would use more energy, emit more greenhouse gases into the atmosphere, and pose more cybersecurity risks due to the synchronization of numerous devices and machines.
If we invest in modern security and safety equipment to ensure the best possible safety for people, we are sacrificing some of the profits and benefits of the aviation industry; but if those systems have an impact on the human living environment, then we need to sacrifice even more profits to compensate for that environmental impact. For example, we could invest in reforestation projects to offset the amount of CO2 emitted... Thus, sustainable development involves difficult choices for a better future, and clearly, we must change our mindset to be ready for it. This was affirmed by a representative of the Vietnam Civil Aviation Authority at the program.
The core values of Vietnam's civil aviation industry have always been preserved and promoted: ensuring absolute security and safety, protecting the environment, and achieving sustainable development, in order to preserve and pass on the best things to future generations. These are also the timeless ideas of the world-renowned cultural figure Ho Chi Minh, who bequeathed them to the Vietnamese nation: "For the benefit of ten years, plant trees; for the benefit of a hundred years, cultivate people."
The Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam issued Plan No. 1762/QD-CHK dated August 23, 2023, on disseminating information and raising awareness about "Digital transformation associated with the sustainable development of Vietnam's civil aviation industry in the period 2024-2030." This plan aims to further strengthen and enhance awareness among all officials, employees, and workers in Vietnam's civil aviation industry, as well as the general public and the community, in order to jointly ensure security, safety, environmental protection, and sustainable development of Vietnam's civil aviation industry. This contributes to the goal of making Vietnam a modern industrialized nation by 2045 and achieving net zero emissions by 2050, as committed by the Party and State leaders to the international community. The awareness program at Cam Ranh International Airport is the first program organized under this plan.
Source: https://www.vietnamplus.vn/nganh-hang-khong-lan-toa-gia-tri-tot-dep-qua-chuong-trinh-giao-luu-voi-hoc-sinh-post979522.vnp
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