ICAO convenes first hybrid air assembly since COVID19
A commercial plane takes off from Geneva Airport in Geneva on July 18, 2019 after sunset. FABRICE COFFRINI AFP MONTREAL, Canada 2,000 delegates from 167 countries gathered in-person and virtually on Tuesday at the International Civil Aviation Organization's Montreal headquarters for its 41st assembly, which highlights net-zero emissions, post-COVID resilience and the critical role of innovation.
The Ministers and government officials were joined by hundreds of participants, observers and media at the first-time hybrid assembly, which runs through October 7.
ICAO Council President Salvatore Sciacchitano opened the 10 day event, the first since the COVID 19 outbreak, highlighting the importance of the UN aviation agency in supporting the safe, secure and sustainable development of international air transport. ALSO READ: ICAO forecasts US $4 -- 5 billion loss to Q 1 airline revenue due to the virus.
He stressed that aviation is a major enabler of the social, economic, and cultural development of countries through mobility and connectivity. On the topic of emissions of aviation, Sciacchitano said that mere aspirations are no longer sufficient where our climate, and the well-being of our planet and all its species are concerned, and that countries should come together on a new net-zero target.
On the post-pandemic recovery, he said that countries and the ICAO can't become complacent about the risk of future epidemics because this latest one is now waning. Innovation is a key to achieving the objectives of the aviation industry. Sciacchitano acknowledged the importance of aviation getting more efficient at incorporating cutting-edge solutions, noting that as international standards setters we play a key role in assessing and enabling new technologies, and strategizing global collaboration and targets to realize evolutionary changes in civil aviation. The 193 signatory states to the Chicago Convention will be working together to agree on a new three-year work program and budget for the ICAO, as well as to elect 36 countries who will serve on the Organization's Governing Council for the 2023 -- 2025 period.
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Other topics to consider include the integration of unmanned aircraft systems into traditional aviation airspace, the reopening of air tourism markets and the deployment of interoperable health certificates using ICAO verification.
Sciacchitano stressed that the whole world has a vested interest in the results that countries would achieve at the assembly, including the potential to achieve environmentally and economically sustainable international civil aviation.
When challenges confront humanity on a truly global scale, there is an expectation that aviation will be at the leading edge of our collective global response, he said.
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The ICAO works with its 193 member states to set and audit safety, security, emissions, navigation, and facilitation standards to shape and improve international air operations. The ICAO assembly takes place once every three years.