Professor Alan Tan ’93 in Qatar: Aeropolitical Challenges for the Aviation Industry

NUS Law’s resident expert on aviation law, Professor Alan Tan ’93 (NUS Law), was a guest of Qatar Airways and the Centre for Aviation (CAPA) at the inaugural Qatar Aviation Aeropolitical and Regulatory Summit held in early February in the Qatari capital, Doha.

Professor Tan was invited to speak on aeropolitical challenges in Southeast Asia and to participate in a high-level discussion alongside industry leaders such as Mr Akbar Al Baker (Group Chief Executive, Qatar Airways) and Mr Henrik Hololei (Director-General (Mobility and Transport), European Union).

The event was held amidst the ongoing political and economic blockade of Qatar by its larger neighbours that has impacted Qatar Airways’ operations substantially. In his interventions, Professor Tan underlined the need for small nations like Qatar and Singapore to maintain the momentum for aviation liberalisation, both bilaterally and multilaterally, in order to continue punching above their weight in the aviation world. He also shared how the Qatari blockade holds important lessons for Singapore, which also faces aeropolitical challenges with its neighbours pertaining to issues such as airspace management.