Eighth International Flight Safety Seminar Opens at Dhaka's Sonargaon Hotel: Delegates From 20 Countries, Inaugurated by the Air Force Chief
The three-day Eighth International Flight Safety Seminar 2026 has opened in Dhaka with the aims of strengthening aviation safety, making effective use of modern technology and building a future-ready safety culture.
Air Chief Marshal Hasan Mahmood Khan, chief of the Bangladesh Air Force, formally inaugurated the seminar on Monday (26 October) at the Pan Pacific Sonargaon Hotel in the capital, where he attended as chief guest.
The seminar is being jointly organised by the Bangladesh Air Force and the Civil Aviation Authority. Representatives of the military and civil aviation sectors of various countries, along with local and foreign experts, are taking part.
This year's theme is "Technology, Training and Teamwork: Creating a Future-Ready Safety Mindset."
In his inaugural address, the air force chief said the rapid advancement of technology in aviation is creating new risks and challenges for safety alongside new possibilities, and that meeting those challenges requires advanced technology, proper training, skilled manpower, effective leadership, inter-agency coordination and teamwork.
He added that an integrated application of technology, training and teamwork is needed to make the flight safety system more effective and up to date, and that international seminars of this kind create opportunities for countries and organisations to exchange knowledge, experience and best practices, increasing mutual cooperation and coordination in aviation safety.
The seminar is discussing emerging risks and challenges in aviation safety, the exchange of international experience, and ways to ensure safe and sustainable air travel. Improving safety systems in step with technological progress and strengthening preparation for future challenges are also important topics.
Alongside representatives of the Bangladesh Air Force and the Civil Aviation Authority, air force delegates from Brazil, China, Egypt, Indonesia, Italy, Jordan, Morocco, Myanmar, Pakistan, the Philippines, Qatar, Kuwait, Russia, Sudan, Türkiye, the United Kingdom, the United States and Zimbabwe are attending.
For the first time, representatives of the civil aviation authorities of Malaysia, Nepal and Sri Lanka, as well as representatives of the International Air Transport Association (IATA), have also joined this year's event, creating a new opportunity for experience-sharing and coordination between the military and civil aviation sectors.
Representatives of the Bangladesh Army, Navy, Police, Special Response Battalion (SRB), Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB), Bangladesh Coast Guard, and Bangladesh Ansar and Village Defence Party are also attending.
Representatives of various airlines, flying academies, educational institutions, the Ministry of Defence, the Ministry of Home Affairs and the Ministry of Civil Aviation and Tourism have joined the seminar as well.
Representatives of the Survey of Bangladesh, the Fire Service and Civil Defence, the Bangladesh Space Research and Remote Sensing Organization (SPARRSO) and the Bangladesh Meteorological Department are also taking part.
In the seminar's sessions, local and foreign experts are presenting papers and exchanging views on important flight safety subjects. Technical advancement, training and skills development, the human factor, safety management systems (SMS), the integration of humans and technology, and teamwork are receiving emphasis in the discussions.
Strategies for raising safety standards in the future aviation system and for meeting new risks are also being discussed, and participants are exchanging views on strengthening safety systems by drawing on international flight safety practice and applying modern technology effectively. The seminar runs for three days.
