Airways New Zealand and Airservices Australia sign agreement to advance aviation safety and resilience

Airways New Zealand and Airservices Australia have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to strengthen collaboration on initiatives that enhance the safety, efficiency and resilience of air traffic services across the region.

The agreement, signed yesterday at the Civil Air Navigation Services Organisation (CANSO) Airspace Asia Pacific conference in Hong Kong, establishes a framework for cooperation in areas critical to the future of aviation. These include operational contingency planning, innovation in air traffic management, workforce planning and training, and advanced safety analytics.

Under the MOU, Airways and Airservices will share knowledge and best practices, explore joint projects, and coordinate contributions to regional and international forums such as ICAO and CANSO. The partnership also includes opportunities for secondments and joint training to build workforce capability and resilience.

Airways Chief Executive James Young says the agreement reflects a shared commitment to delivering safe skies today and tomorrow.

“This partnership enables us to combine expertise and resources to address common challenges and deliver innovative solutions for the aviation sector.”

“By working together, we can strengthen operational resilience and support the region’s future growth.”

Airservices Australia Chief Executive Rob Sharp says the MOU gives the two organisations a bilateral platform to jointly deliver significant outcomes for the region and mature air traffic management in the Asia-Pacific.

“The relationship we have with counterparts from New Zealand has strengthened considerably in the last 18 months and formalising our partnership under this MOU will enhance this collaboration,” he says. 

Airways and Airservices currently engage in joint work in training and technology. Airservices’ air traffic controller (ATC) cohorts train in New Zealand and Airservices utilises Airways’ mobile ATC simulators for training in dispersed locations. The Australian provider has also adopted Airways’ SureSelect candidate assessment toolkit to strengthen its recruitment process.