The aviation industry is at a critical juncture where safety cannot just be a compliance checkbox—it must be a shared culture. A Safety Forum right now is not just timely; it’s essential. With rapid operational changes, evolving technologies, and increasing passenger expectations, the risks we face are more complex than ever. This forum provides a unique space for airlines, ground handlers, airports, and suppliers to come together, exchange best practices, and tackle emerging challenges collaboratively. When every stakeholder from leadership to frontline teams embrace safety as a core value, we reduce incidents, protect lives, and strengthen trust across the entire ecosystem. I’m passionate about this because safety is not competitive—it’s collective. The conversations we have today will define the resilience and sustainability of our industry tomorrow.

The aviation industry is at a point where operational complexity, workforce turnover, and rapidly evolving technology demand a renewed, collaborative focus on safety. A dedicated Safety Forum provides a safe space for key stakeholders to align on standards and share lessons learned with the goal of strengthening our industry's safety culture. Safety should not be a competitive advantage; it should be a collective responsibility. By coming together, we can help each other protect our people, our customers, and our assets. This forum will allow us to set the tone for the next era of safe and efficient operations on a global scale.

Whilst forums already exist for ground handlers, airlines and airports to come together to discuss safety these are often by invite or through membership. Having an open forum for stakeholders to discuss safety is a great opportunity for everyone to come together and discuss the issues we collectively face. We all work in the same space and have a collective responsibility to ensure we embed consistent behaviours and safety culture within ground handling operations which can only be of benefit to everyone in our community.