Appointment of New Director-General at the Civil Aviation Authority Of Singapore

1.     Mr Han Kok Juan will be appointed as the Director-General of the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore (CAAS) with effect from 2 August 2021, taking over from Mr Shum Jin-Chyi Kevin who will be appointed as Deputy Secretary, Ministry of Transport (MOT). Mr Han, who is currently Deputy Secretary, MOT and Senior Deputy Director-General, CAAS will be appointed as Director-General Designate, CAAS from 1 June 2021 to 1 August 2021. 

2.     Mr Han Kok Juan, 47, studied at the University of Oxford, United Kingdom, where he graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy, Politics and Economics. He subsequently obtained a Master in Public Administration from the Peking University, China. 

3.     Mr Han is currently Deputy Secretary in MOT, an appointment he has held since 16 September 2019 where he has helped advance MOT’s agenda in aviation, maritime, international relations, transport security, cybersecurity, technology and transport accident investigations. He has played a key role coordinating the transport family’s response to COVID-19 since January 2020.   

4.     Prior to this appointment, Mr Han was the Deputy Secretary in the Ministry of Law from 1 November 2015 to 15 September 2019. As part of his portfolio, Mr Han led the organisation of the Singapore Convention on Mediation Signing Ceremony and Conference, with 46 states signing the first United Nations treaty named after Singapore on 7 August 2019. Mr Han also led a team to support the Parliamentary Select Committee on Deliberate Online Falsehoods and help put in place the Protection from Online Falsehoods and Manipulation Act. 

5.     Mr Shum Jin-Chyi Kevin, 50, has been the Director-General of CAAS since 2 August 2015. Mr Shum led the Changi Air Hub to reach new heights during his tenure, with the Changi Airport reaching an all-time high of 68 million passengers in 2019 and the opening of Changi Airport Terminal 4 and Jewel Changi Airport. Singapore Airlines carried a record 36 million passengers to 136 destinations and the airline also restored ultra-long range flights to North America and began operations of several new aircraft types. Under his watch, the safety record was exemplary. 

6.     Mr Shum also worked closely with the sector to innovate and invest in technology. There were innovations in unmanned aircraft leading to Singapore’s first Electric Vertical Takeoff and Landing (eVTOL) flight in 2019. He also oversaw significant enhancements to Singapore’s air traffic management systems, with the establishment of the Joint Aviation Innovation Research Lab with Thales and work on new technologies and procedures such as a prototype smart tower and the use of artificial intelligence. Employment and productivity increased during the period. 

7.     Internationally, Mr Shum strengthened Singapore’s profile and contributed significantly to the development of the international aviation regulatory regime. In 2019, Singapore was re-elected to the ICAO Council with the highest-ever number of votes. Singapore helped to develop ICAO’s Carbon Offsetting and Reduction Scheme for International Aviation, the world’s first global carbon offsetting scheme. He chaired international committees and helped the ICAO’s Council Aviation Recovery Task Force (CART) to guide government and industry operators to restart the international air transport sector to recover from the impact of COVID-19 on a coordinated basis. During his tenure, CAAS strengthened partnerships with the Civil Aviation Authority of China, European Union Aviation Safety Agency, Japan’s Civil Aviation Bureau, US Federal Aviation Administration, International Air Transport Association, and the Civil Air Navigation Services Organisation amongst others.

8.     For COVID-19, Mr Shum led CAAS to put in place precautionary measures for safe management and other protections with airlines and the airport to ensure the safety and well-being of air transport workers and Singaporeans. More than 90% of frontline air transport workers have been fully vaccinated. CAAS has worked with Changi General Hospital to strengthen collaboration in aviation medicine. CAAS has also helped to assist aviation companies and workers to weather the impact of COVID-19. The air transport sector has been gradually recovering; today, Changi is connected to 68 cities, making Changi one of the most connected air hubs in the Asia-Pacific. 

9.     For his work to support air transport sector workers, Mr Shum was awarded the Medal of Commendation (Gold) by the NTUC in 2018. Under his leadership, CAAS was ranked amongst Singapore’s best employers in 2021.

10.    The Ministry of Transport would like to put on record its appreciation to Mr Kevin Shum for his significant contributions in his six years as the Director-General of CAAS.

ANNEX – Photos of Outgoing and Incoming Director-General CAAS