Montréal and Ulaanbaatar, 17 August 2017 – Rapid growth and continuing challenges to future system capacity were some of the key points addressed in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia this week, as ICAO’s Council President and Secretary General participated in the 54th Asia-Pacific Directors General of Civil Aviation (APAC DGCA) event.

“While the Asia-Pacific presently leads the world in terms of traffic growth, it also faces attendant challenges with respect to managing and sustaining it, safely, securely and efficiently,” stressed ICAO Council President Dr. Olumuyiwa Benard Aliu.

In his keynote address to the approximately 300 delegates in attendance, President Aliu further highlighted the need to manage demand against capacity of airport and Air Traffic Management (ATM) systems, the pressing need for APAC States to implement the Safety Enhancement Initiatives (SEIs) set out by its Regional Aviation Safety Group (RASG), challenges to infrastructure and other investors posed by unstable regulatory environments, and insufficient training capacity for skilled aviation professionals, amongst other priorities.

The ICAO Council President also drew attention to the region’s capacity challenges, reminding those present that “ICAO is therefore leading efforts to increase the number of new air routes, implement an Asia-Pacific Air Traffic Flow Management System, and to realize a more flexible local approach to the sharing of airspace by civil and military operators.”

He further alluded to the essentialness of air transport connectivity for the Pacific Island States, mainly arising from their remoteness and small populations, and to the resource challenges they face in optimizing aviation’s benefits.

“A reliable network of air links within and among island countries, and to major air transport hubs, is essential to the viability of these countries from humanitarian, political and economic perspectives. However the acute resource crunch in the Pacific Island States poses a complex challenge that truly demands a new approach and comprehensive sub-regional plan.”

 

Source: ICAO