Today (Friday 7 December) is International Civil Aviation Day, established by the United Nation’s International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) in 1994 to raise awareness of the importance of international social and economic development in civil aviation.
This year, the day aims to highlight how ICAO’s ‘No Country Left Behind’ (NCLB) initiative encourages member states to assist developing countries so they too can enjoy the benefits of safe and reliable air transportation. NCLB is a broad strategic approach to encourage and assist all ICAO States to meet ICAO’s Standards and Recommended Practices (SARPs).
The Australian Transport Safety Bureau’s Chief Commissioner, Greg Hood, said the Bureau participates in the spirit of the initiative though its involvement in ICAO’s Asia Pacific Accident Investigation Group.
“The day also focuses attention on how ICAO and its member States, like Australia, can work together to encourage and provide assistance to developing countries and their air transport networks,” Mr Hood said. “Through participation in this group, the ATSB works with nations in the region to assist with the establishment and development of their own capability for the independent investigation of aviation accidents and incidents.”
In October, the ATSB and the Indonesian National Transportation Safety Committee (NTSC) conducted a two-day investigation analysis workshop in Bangkok, Thailand, as part of the ICAO Asia Pacific Accident Investigation Group program.
“Participants from 15 nations including Bangladesh, Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Macau, India, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Mongolia, Myanmar, New Zealand, Philippines, Korea, Singapore, and Thailand attended the workshop,” Mr Hood said. “Workshop participants received specialist instruction in investigation analysis methodology and completed a range of group exercises to apply the techniques they had learned.
“The success of the investigation analysis workshop clearly demonstrates how ICAO States in the Asia Pacific can work together to improve aviation safety in the region, for the benefit of all.”
More information on International Civil Aviation Day is available on ICAO’s website - www.icao.int