Safety, sustainability and efficiency IATA's priority at ICAO 42nd Assembly in Montreal

Safety, sustainability and efficiency will be top on IATA’s priority list as the International Air Transport Association gets ready for the 42nd Assembly of the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) in Montreal from September 23 to October 3.

ICAO has already accepted some 14 working papers authored by IATA covering a wide range of topics for the Assembly’s consideration.

IATA’s Director General Willie Walsh noted, “IATA will be participating in the ICAO Assembly with safety, sustainability and efficiency at the top of our priority list. It is critical that we secure stronger support for SAF production and CORSIA as key enablers of aviation’s commitment to achieve net zero emissions by 2050.

“Equally, we need agreement to follow the principles and provisions of the Chicago Convention to avoid patchworks of debilitating tax measures and passenger rights regulations. And we must shore-up safety with timely accident reports, mitigations for GNSS interference and preservation of critical radio-frequency spectrum.”

Global standards, many of which are developed by governments through ICAO, are crucial for safe, efficient and increasingly sustainable aviation operations worldwide.

These standards are developed with the expertise and input of airline operators’ worldwide working with ICAO member states. The ICAO Assembly is a once-every-three-year opportunity for states to align on ICAO’s work programme as it addresses aviation’s most pressing issues.

“The criticality of global standards to global aviation cannot be underestimated. I am optimistic for the outcomes of this Assembly. Everybody wants flying to be safe, efficient and more sustainable. So, we have a common agenda with governments. Indeed, many of our submissions to the Assembly are simply asking governments to more effectively implement what they have already agreed. The coming weeks in Montreal are essential to set the agenda, but even more important is the following three years of work to achieve what is agreed,” Walsh added.