APATS 2026 Day 1: Rethinking Training for a More Complex Aviation World

APATS 2026 opened today with a focus on Rethinking Airline Training, as leaders from across the Asia-Pacific region gathered to discuss the challenges and opportunities shaping the future of the industry.

The opening day programme brought together airlines, regulators, training organisations, manufacturers and technology providers to explore topics including new regulatory expectations for Flight Simulation Training Device Operators, the evolution of evidence and competency frameworks including multi-crew pilot licence programmes, as well as the human side of aviation safety and performance. Among the day's highlights were:

Thai Airways COO Sets the Tone

Captain Chawan Ratanawaraha, Chief Operations Officer of Thai Airways International, delivered the opening keynote, calling for aviation training to go beyond procedural compliance and develop the resilience, judgement and airmanship pilots need to manage unexpected situations. Drawing on real-world incidents and his own flying experience, he challenged the industry to prepare crews not only for known failures, but for situations where the checklist ends and the problem remains.

“Do not let the boundaries of the simulator box become the boundaries of your students’ thinking,” he said.

Regulatory

A new Flight Simulation Training Device Operator (FSTDO) Regulatory stream was launched to give regulators and simulator operators a dedicated forum to discuss major regulatory changes, including the European Union Aviation Safety Agency’s new task-to-tool approach, and work towards greater harmonisation of Flight Simulation Training Device oversight across the Asia-Pacific region.

Mark Dransfield, Co-founder of flight simulation solution provider SIM OPS and stream moderator, highlighted growing international momentum towards a common approach to FSTD qualification, with European, international, US and UK aviation regulators all moving towards or considering capability-based frameworks. He argued that Asia-Pacific now needs to be part of that conversation, encouraging regulators and industry across the region to consider how they will transition away from legacy FSTD types and levels and towards internationally recognised standards. Greater harmonisation, he said, could make qualifications more readily accepted across borders while allowing regulation to keep pace with rapidly evolving training and simulation technology.

“There’s a real opportunity here for harmonisation… but it has to come from us as an industry,” he said.

Andy Gillbard, Technical Fellow, Simulator Standards & Compliance Specialist at Boeing Global Services, outlined work underway at the International Civil Aviation Organization to modernise the global regulatory framework for FSTDs. This includes incorporating the principles behind EASA’s FSTD Capability Signature (FCS), creating regulatory pathways that can accommodate emerging simulation technologies, and shifting from device-based testing towards more risk-based oversight of FSTD operators. Ultimately, he said, the ambition is greater international cooperation and mutual recognition of FSTD qualifications across borders – something he described as the industry’s “holy grail”.

Cabin Crew

The Cabin Crew stream opened with an interactive speed networking workshop exploring whether training reflects operational reality. Delegates discussed challenges including disruptive passengers, medical emergencies and lithium-ion battery risks.

A recurring theme was the increasingly blurred line between service and safety, with seemingly routine situations capable of escalating quickly. Delegates stressed the importance of early intervention, particularly with disruptive passengers.

Emily Billings of Fiji Airways called for more proactive training that prepares cabin crew to anticipate emerging risks rather than simply respond once an incident occurs.

Instructor Standardisation

Across several streams, instructor standardisation emerged as a major theme, with speakers examining how greater consistency in teaching can improve training quality without removing instructor flexibility or professional judgement. In the Approved Training Organisation (ATO) stream, Harrison Stanhope, COO of Basair Aviation College, argued that clear instructional design, common language and agreed expectations can reduce unnecessary variation between instructors, while training data can reveal differences in outcomes and teaching practices. The message was that standardisation is not a one-off exercise, but something that must be continually measured, maintained and improved.

“Everyone is responsible for safety and risk,” he said. “And just like that, everyone is responsible for maintaining standardisation.”