< PreviousICAO COUNCIL ECUADOR VISIT SHOWCASES ENVIRONMENTAviation and the environment was the dominant theme of recent meetings in Ecuador by Representatives of ICAO’s 36-State Governing Council, during its first-ever visit to the South American (SAM) region. A highlight of the event was a trip to the Galapagos Islands, a fragile world heritage site with tremendous biodiversity. On the island, using state-of-the-art technologies and practices, Ecuador has built the world’s first “Ecological Airport”, where the Council participants unveiled a commemorative and congratulatory plaque.“The Council State Visit to Ecuador impressed upon ICAO’s leadership the importance of our positions on aviation environmental protection, not only in terms of objectives like carbon-neutral growth, but also in terms of the protection of the world’s geographic heritage,” explained Mr. Ivan Fernando Arellano Lascano, Ecuador’s Representative on the ICAO Council. “This visit also provided a platform for the highest authorities in aviation to undertake important political and technical discussions regarding the environment, and it has proven to be a historic moment for Ecuador.”Sustainability issues specific to each of Ecuador’s three distinct continental regions – coastal, Sierra, and rainforest – were presented. In Quito, Ecuador’s capital city, the construction of the new high-altitude Mariscal Sucre International Airport posed technical challenges in terms of air navigation services and environmental impact, as well as cultural heritage challenges when significant archaeological treasures were uncovered during its construction. Ecuador’s experience in managing these challenges will be invaluable to future international guidance regarding such situations. Mr. Hajime Yoshimura, president of the Air Navigation Commission (ANC) and Japanese delegate to the ICAO Council, said, “This airport is one of the best I have ever seen. The construction and facilities are well in compliance with ICAO regulations. That is why this airport already has ICAO Certification.”At the Jose Joaquin de Olmedo International Airport in Guayaquil, a facility which serves the country’s largest urban area and which has received numerous awards for its outstanding airport service quality, Ecuador highlighted its social inclusiveness via a programme that actively encourages the employment of disabled people at the airport.Drawing on the country’s strong legal and political commitment to environmental protection, Ecuador showcased its green aviation innovation and leadership on the occasion of the ICAO Council’s 2017 Visit. 18 ICAO JOURNAL – ISSUE 2 2017Galapagos Ecological Airport - “Ecogal” - is unique for the measures it has implemented to preserve the islands’ ecosystems and biodiversity.ICAO’s Council President, Dr. Olumuyiwa Benard Aliu, recognized and highlighted the significance of Ecuador’s efforts, praising the leadership and encouraging the region’s ambitions as a whole. “Quiport sees its role in Ecuador not just as a commercial operator but as part of an international system. It is gratifying to see that the collaboration we are promoting at a global level is happening also at the national level here.”He noted pointed significant improvements Ecuador has demonstrated through ICAO’s Universal Safety Oversight Audit Programme (USOAP), and the fact that the safety targets indicated through the region’s Bogotá Declaration are more ambitious than those set forth under ICAO’s Global Aviation Safety Plan (GASP). The 2017 Council Visit programme included presentations given by ICAO’s Secretary General Dr. Fang Liu and members of the ICAO Secretariat, Council Representatives, International Organizations such as Airports Council International (ACI), International Air Transport Association (IATA), the Latin American and Caribbean Air Transport Association (ALTA) and Industry represented by Google, Corporación América S.A, Corporación Quiport S.A., Terminal Aeroportuaria de Guayaquil S.A. (TAGSA), Galapagos Ecological Airport “Ecoga,l” and LATAM Airlines, among others. The Air Transport Action Group (ATAG) offset the full travel CO2 footprint of the ICAO Council trip using carbon credits from the LifeStraw Project. The number had been determined using the ICAO Carbon Calculator. ICAO JOURNAL – ISSUE 2 2017 19The visit “impressed upon ICAO’s leadership the importance of our positions on aviation environmentalprotection...”– Mr. Ivan Fernando Arellano Lascano, Ecuador Representative, ICAO Council.ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTIONXXXXX20 ICAO JOURNAL – ISSUE 2 2017SUSTAINABLE FUELS? BELIEVE IT.If there were any doubts that aircraft can fly using alternative fuels derived from sustainable oil crops such as jatropha, camelina and algae or from wood and waste biomass, follow the live feed of commercial flights operated by airlines that have signed alternative fuel purchase agreements with airport operators. The feed is on the ICAO Global Framework for Aviation Alternative Fuels (GFAAF) web portal – https://planefinder.net/custom/icao-fuel.php. In 2009, recognizing that sustainable alternative fuels are an important element of the ICAO Basket of Measures to reduce emissions from international aviation, ICAO organized the First Conference on Aviation and Alternative Fuels (CAAF1). in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The Conference endorsed the use of sustainable alternative fuels for aviation as an important means of reducing aviation emissions and established the ICAO Global Framework for Aviation Alternative Fuels (GFAAF). The GFAAF is an online 532,500+ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTIONCertified pathways to produce drop-in jet fuelsAirports distributing alternative fuels to regular flightsCommercial flightsflown on sustainable alternative fuelsdatabase that collects information related to the use of alternative fuels in aviation. Since its creation in 2009, the database has been expanded to include more than 500 news announcements dating to 2005, details of 35 past and ongoing initiatives, two maps that provide a visual representation of where various alternative fuels activities have occurred, over 30 scientific and technical publications available to download, answers to frequently asked questions, and links to additional relevant sources. 500 News Announcements20 Ongoing Initiatives2 Interactive Maps30 Publications Available to DownloadAnswers to 7 FAQs8 Links to Additional SourcesThe aviation industry has undergone a green revolution since 2009. When the First ICAO CAAF was held, aviation alternative fuels for commercial aircraft were still in a very early stage. Now in 2017, there are five pathways certified for the production of aviation alternative fuel, three airports distributing this fuel, and 25 airlines that have flown commercial flights using alternative fuel. IATA estimates that, by the end of 2016, 5,500 flights had been flown using alternative fuels.Live feed - alternative fuel commercial flights -https://planefinder.net/custom/icao-fuel.php ICAO JOURNAL – ISSUE 2 2017 21XXXXXTo highlight this progress, the GFAAF has been updated to include a live-feed of commercial flights operated by airlines that have signed alternative fuel purchase agreements. This includes flights operated by: Lufthansa, SAS, and KLM/KLC flights departing from Oslo Gardermoen Airport (OSL), Norway; United Airlines and KLM flights departing from Los Angeles International Airport (LAX), United States; and SAS, KLM, and BRA flights departing from Stockholm Arlanda Airport (ARN), Sweden. Aviation alternative fuel is also available for purchase at Stockholm Bromma Airport (BMA), Sweden and Åre Östersund Airport (OSD), Sweden. The website also includes details of research initiatives - for example, Air Canada’s plan to operate flights on alternative fuels in support of environmental research on contrails and emissions. Example of a recent development in aviation alternative fuels, as available on the GFAAF: Air Canada to Operate Biofuel Flights in Support of Environmental Research on Contrails and EmissionsAir Canada announced their participation in the Civil Aviation Alternate Fuel Contrail and Emissions Research project (CAAFCER), led by the National Research Council of Canada (NRC). This project aims to measure the impacts of biofuels on contrail formation. To support the research, Air Canada will conduct five biofuel-powered flights between Montreal and Toronto from the end of April 2017 to the beginning of May 2017. The biofuels' impact on contrails will be tested by a trailing aircraft. The flights will be fuelled with a blend of used cooking oil produced by AltAir Fuels and supplied by SkyNRG.In order to keep abreast of the latest developments in aviation alternative fuels and acting in its capacity to provide a forum for the exchange of information, ICAO hosted the ICAO Alternative Fuels Seminar in Montreal, Canada from 8 to 9 February 2017. This event drew 238 Participants, including 48 Member States, and 8 International Organizations. This Seminar reviewed the state of worldwide activities on the use of alternative fuels in aviation, life-cycle analysis methodologies and sustainability criteria, financing and assistance programmes, and the legal and regulatory frameworks that support the development and deployment of these fuels in aviation. The information shared throughout this event will serve as a basis for the convening of the upcoming Second ICAO Conference on Aviation and Alternative Fuels (CAAF2), in October 2017. While the Seminar focused on the many successes that have been achieved so far by the aviation industry, there was also a lot of discussion surrounding the various ways in which the industry can continue to progress in the future. States and stakeholders were encouraged not to lose momentum, but to use this Seminar and the upcoming Conference to further strengthen their ties and to progress discussions on the future of sustainable alternative fuels in aviation. As a part of the Seminar, each presenter provided their top three recommendations to facilitate the development and deployment of alternative fuels. At the end of the Seminar, the ICAO Secretariat presented a summary of these responses to the Participants. The results of the summaries created will feed directly into the upcoming Conference. CAAF2 will focus on:1. Developments in research and certification of aviation alternative fuels; 2. Financing and assistance programmes for aviation alternative fuels; 3. Challenges and policy making, and 4. Defining the ICAO vision on aviation alternative fuels and future objectives. States and International Organizations will be invited to submit Working Papers that correspond to each of these points. Then, the information shared through these Working Papers and the information collected from the Seminar will help the conference define the ICAO Vision of Aviation Alternative Fuels. This vision will encourage States to take action at national and international levels to further develop and deploy sustainable alternative fuels for aviation. For more information about the First ICAO Conference on Aviation and Alternative Fuels (CAAF1): www.icao.int/meetings/caaf2009/Pages/default.aspx To view the ICAO Global Framework for Aviation Alternative Fuels: www.icao.int/environmental-protection/GFAAF/Pages/default.aspx For more information about the ICAO Seminar on Alternative Fuels: www.icao.int/Meetings/altfuels17/Pages/default.aspx For more information about the Second ICAO Conference on Aviation and Alternative Fuels (CAAF2): www.icao.int/Meetings/CAAF22nd ICAO CONFERENCE ON AVIATION AND ALTERNATIVE FUELS (CAAF2) - 11-13 October 2017ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTIONPUB The International Civil Aviation Organization will be hosting DRONE ENABLE, ICAO’s Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) Industry Symposium, this 22–23 September at our Montréal Headquarters. This event will provide States, international organizations, industry, academia and other stakeholders with an invaluable opportunity to share their ideas for new innovations in unmanned aircraft system traffic management systems (UTM). Key supporting functions of UTM, including a registration system, the ability to remotely identify and track unmanned aircraft, as well as communications and geofencing-like systems, will among the topics addressed. DRONE ENABLE will be the first opportunity for companies and governments to network and share their visions of a safe and globally-harmonized future in this dynamic new field. For more information, please visit our website at:DRONE ENABLE ICAO’s Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) Industry SymposiumUAS201722–23 September 2017 ICAO Headquarters, Montréal, Canada www.icao.int/meetings/UAS2017Dr. Fang Liu, ICAO Secretary General (centre) celebrates with the Regional Office staff the founding of ICAO's North American, Central America and Caribbean (NACC) RO 60 years ago.NACC SETS HIGH EI GOALSThe North American, Central American and Caribbean (NACC) Region hosts very diverse cultures and ethnicities and government systems (parliamentarian, republic, etc.). Economic and aviation sectors range from the most complex and developed systems like the United States to extremely challenged States like Haiti and others in the Eastern Caribbean. The Region has two main regional safety and security oversight mechanisms: CASSOS and COCESNA/ACSA.The NACC Region has a goal of having at least 90 per cent of all its Member States at or above 80 per cent of effective levels of implementation (EI) by the end of 2018. This may seem daunting considering the total contribution from Member States for NACC Assistance Project averages less than US$15,000 per State. This requires a transformation approach and strategy and the full implementation of the NACC No Country Left Behind (NCLB) Strategy. We have gone from two-thirds of countries below 80 per cent EI to 52 per cent below, with a requirement to be at 38 per cent by the end of 2017, and a final goal that no more than 10 per cent of our Member States are below the 80 per cent EI threshold by the end of 2018. This is the challenge for the NACC Office: to institute a transformational approach and strategy to meet our goal of ensuring that each Member State can achieve a transport system which is safe,secure, environmentally sound and sustainable. Due to the holistic nature of the NACC NCLB Strategy, each area is addressed through a comprehensive action plan which encompasses the totality of the system and resolution of any noted deficiencies (as identified through the various ICAO audit/mechanisms). This approach has allowed us to achieve the metrics/goals that we have imposed upon ourselves together with the support, political will and commitment of our Member States and other organizations. These goals and commitments are all clearly defined in the Regional Operational Plan and specifics within each Member State’s tailored Action Plan. The NACC Office has been able to obtain support from various Headquarters bureaus in these endeavours, which has been critical to meeting such far-reaching goals. NACC MARKS 60th ANNIVERSARY ICAO’s North, Central American and Caribbean (NACC) Regional Office is celebrating 60 years. A special anniversary ceremony marking the milestone was attended by Dr. Fang Liu, ICAO’s Secretary General, Ms. Yuriria Mascott Pérez, Mexico’s Permanent Representative to ICAO, the Mexican Ministry of Communications and Transportation’s Subsecretary of Transportation, Mr. Roberto Kobeh González, Lifetime Goodwill Ambassador of ICAO, Lic. Alfonso Sarabia de la Garza, Director of Aeropuertos y Servicios Auxiliares, Mr. Melvin Cintron, Director of the ICAO NACC Regional Office, Mr. Dionisio Méndez Mayora, and Ministers, Ambassadors, and Directors General of Civil Aviation representing many of the 21 States and 19 Territories to which the NACC Regional Office is accredited. “It is my firm belief that by giving more responsibility and accountability to Regional Offices for engaging and coordinating directly with States, ICAO can ensure seamless organizational coordination at the global and regional level, which in turn enhances the capabilities of States to reflect their needs and address their specific issues in a regional context,” Dr. Liu noted. “The NACC Office has undertaken significant efforts to enhance its service delivery under this new framework, and to improve cooperation among the many partners it is accredited to here. The Office will make crucial contributions to the successful implementation of ICAO’s Global Plans for Aviation Safety and Air Navigation, our upcoming Global Aviation Security Plan, and the recently adopted Carbon Offsetting and Reduction Scheme for International Aviation (CORSIA).”This includes temporary Headquarters personnel assignment to NACC Office, sharing of personnel for training/workshops, timely interventions with Member States, and subject matter experts. - Mr. Melvin Cintron, Regional Director, NACC ICAO JOURNAL – ISSUE 2 2017 25 The 4th ICAO Global Aviation Training (GAT) and TRAINAIR PLUS Symposium Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, 11-13 April 2017ORGANIZERSEthiopian Airlines Aviation Academy and ICAO GATHOSTThe government of the EthiopiaPARTICIPANTSKeynote speakers were the Secretary General of ICAO, Dr. Fang Liu, and the CEO of Ethiopian Airlines, Mr. Tewelde Gebremaria. Panelists were from the ICAO Global Aviation Training Office and Air Navigation Bureau, Airports Council International - World (ACI), Civil Air Navigation Services Organisation (CANSO), International Air Transport Association (IATA), Brazilian National Civil Aviation Agency (ANAC), Airways New Zealand, the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Flight Standards Training Division and FAA Academy, JAA Training Organisation, the University of Southern Queensland Australia, Ecole Nationale de l’Aviation Civile (ENAC), Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University (ERAU) - Asia, Concordia University, East African School of Aviation, European Aviation Institute, Young African Aviation Professional Association, Singapore Aviation Academy, Civil Aviation Authority of Sri Lanka, Ethiopian Aviation Academy, Corporacion Educativa Indoamericana, East African School of Aviation (EASA), Civil Aviation Training Center of Mongolia, Washington Consulting Group, Jamaica Civil Aviation Authority Training Institute (CAATI), and Nigerian College of Aviation Technology (NCAT).KEY OUTCOMESICAO Secretary General Dr. Fang Liu applauded Africa’s initiative in establishing the Association of African Aviation Training Organizations (AATO).The SG recognized training organizations from 14 States which have attained TRAINAIR PLUS Programme milestones.The Nigerian College of Aviation Technology (NCAT) received ICAO’s Global Aviation Training 2016 award.26 ICAO JOURNAL – ISSUE 2 2017The Fourth ICAO Global Aviation Training (GAT) and TRAINAIR PLUS Symposium in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia in April was the first on the African continent, as the Organization continues its efforts to bolster worldwide aviation training capacity. The TRAINAIR PLUS Programme (TPP), managed by the GAT Office, is a cooperative global training network that includes 92 training organizations from nearly 70 ICAO Member States.The Symposium presents a unique opportunity for ICAO Member States and training organizations to come together and explore new collaboration and partnership opportunities, and to increase their awareness on key near- and long-term aviation training capacity priorities.NO COUNTRY LEFT BEHINDICAO TRAINING SYMPOSIUM ADDRESSES CAPACITY GAPS ICAO JOURNAL – ISSUE 2 2017 27ICAO Secretary General Dr. Fang Liu pointed to the robust growth trends in the global air transport network and the expected doubling of flight and passenger volumes: “Over the next 20 years, this projected growth will require many new skilled personnel such as pilots, maintenance engineers and air traffic controllers. These pressing needs for aviation personnel, especially in light of competition for their skills from other high-tech sectors, make clear for us that we must address our persisting training capacity gaps sooner than later, ultimately ensuring a sustainable skilled workforce for the future of civil aviation.”The Secretary General stressed the need for training organizations to “engage in collaborative projects,” applauding Africa’s initiative in establishing the Association of African Aviation Training Organizations (AATO). The AATO is addressing important issues such as the standardization of course curricula, the harmonization of instructor training, and the recognition of certificates. Dr. Liu encouraged other Regions to follow this example.Mr. Meshesha Belayneh, Deputy Director of the ICAO Technical Cooperation Bureau (TCB) and Acting Chief of the GAT Office, stated: “In some regions of the world, training capacity is lower than the expected demand for skilled and technical personnel, given the various projections of traffic growth. States will have no other choice than to train regionally or globally.”Mr. Belayneh said the challenges training organizations face include: ■Social, political and cultural environments that hinder training development and delivery ■Lack of human, financial and material resources ■Redundancy of similar training in the region ■Lack of communication or coordination of available training ■Lack of flexibility and adaptability with independent processes and methodologies ■Non-recognition of certificatesICAO Secretary General Dr. Fang Liu (centre left) and ICAO’s Technical Co-operation Bureau Deputy Director Mr. Meshesha Belayneh (centre right), pose with Members of the ICAO TRAINAIR Plus programme during the Fourth ICAO Global Aviation Training and TRAINAIR PLUS Symposium in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.“ We must address our persisting training capacity gaps sooner than later.” – Dr. Fang Liu, ICAO Secretary GeneralThe Nigerian College of Aviation Technology (NCAT) received ICAO’s Global Aviation Training 2016 award.NO COUNTRY LEFT BEHINDNext >