Industry, governments address air safety

The International Air Transport Association (IATA) has joined with the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO), Airports Council International (ACI) and the Civil Air Navigation Services Organisation (CANSO) in a declaration committing the parties to review processes for the overflight of conflict zones. The high-level meeting was called in Montreal, Canada, by ICAO in the aftermath of the downing of MH17 over the Ukraine earlier this month. “The tragic shooting-down of MH17 was an attack on the whole air transport industry. The world’s airlines are angry. Civil aircraft are instruments of peace. They should not be the target of weapons of war. That is enshrined in international law through the Chicago Convention,” said Tony Tyler, IATA’s director-general and CEO. The declaration includes a commitment by ICAO, with the support of its industry partners, to immediately establish a senior-level task force composed of state and industry experts to address the civil aviation and national security issues arising from MH17. In particular, the task force will look at how relevant information can be effectively collected and disseminated. IATA will be among the participants on the task force. A statement issued by IATA said the industry has also called on ICAO to address fail-safe channels for essential threat information to be made available to civil aviation authorities and industry. It has also called on the need to incorporate into international law, through appropriate UN frameworks, measures to govern the design, manufacture and deployment of modern anti-aircraft weaponry. “We are asking ICAO to address two critical tasks. The first, and most urgent, is to ensure that governments provide airlines with better information with which to make risk assessments of the various threats they may face. The second is equally important but comes with a longer time frame. We will find ways through international law that will oblige governments better to control weapons which have the capability to pose a danger to civil aviation. Achieving these will make our safe industry even safer,” said Tyler. He said clear, accurate and timely information on risks is critical. “We were told that flights traversing Ukraine’s territory at above 32 000 feet would not be in harm’s way. We now know how wrong that guidance was. It is essential that airlines receive clear guidance regarding threats to their passengers, crew and aircraft. “Such information must be accessible in an authoritative, accurate, consistent, and unequivocal way. This is the responsibility of states. There can be no excuses. Even sensitive information can be sanitised and still remain operationally relevant,” said Tyler. He noted that IATA stands willing to assist with the dissemination of such information. He added that a clear illustration of the need for such information was evident last week with respect to operations to and from Tel Aviv’s Ben-Gurion Airport. “The Israeli authorities declared that the airport was safe. The US Federal Aviation Administration told its airlines they could not fly. And the European Aviation Safety Agency provided strong recommendations that European airlines should not fly. “This is all far from the authoritative, accurate, consistent, and unequivocal information needed to support effective decisions on such an important issue. Governments must do better,” said Tyler. MONTREAL STAFF REPORTER