UN-hosted civil aviation conference to take up aircraft tracking, conflict zone risks

Some 500 delegates have gathered at ICAO headquarters in Montréal, Canada, for theSecond High-level Safety Conference to cover three major themes: reviewing the current situation, the future approach to manage aviation safety and facilitating increased regional cooperation.

“The participation of Directors General of Civil Aviation and strategic decision-makers will provide the international civil aviation community the opportunity to build consensus, obtain commitments and formulate recommendations deemed necessary for the effective and efficient progress of key aviation safety activities,” according to ICAO.

“In particular,” ICAO said, “the conference will also be invited to discuss emerging safety issues, including the global tracking of aircraft and risks to civil aviation arising from conflict zones.”

Among the side events scheduled during the conference include sessions on emerging issues such as the management of Ebola; search and rescue practices; the risks to civil aviation arising from conflict zones; and the development of a future Global Distress Safety System to enhance the capability to track aircraft, locate an accident site and retrieve Cockpit Voice Recorder and Flight Data Recorder information.

The conference take place following last year’s downing of a Malaysia Airlines flight over eastern Ukraine, and the disappearance of another Malaysian Airlines flight upon take off from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Also listed among the side events are sessions on current initiatives to assist accident victims and their families and protection of safety information.

This past December, the Secretary-General addressed an Extraordinary Session of ICAO’s Permanent Council to mark the 70th anniversary of the Convention on International Aviation, better known as the Chicago Convention after the city where United States city where it was signed in 1944.

The Convention, which established ICAO, a specialized UN agency tasked with coordinating and regulating international air travel, sets rules of airspace, aircraft registration and safety, and undertakes compliance audits, performs studies and analyses.

“It is through these provisions – as well as ICAO’s complementary policy, auditing and capacity-building efforts – that today’s global air transport network is able to operate close to 100,000 daily flights, safely, efficiently and securely in every region of the world,” according to ICAO.

Credit: ICAO