SPECIAL REPORT: SUSTAINABILITY
Safety is not a monopoly. It is everyone’s business – airlines, airports, governments. Clearly we must focus on building a stronger global and regional safety strategy based on national safety programmes and widespread adoption of safety management systems
the variance between regions, ensuring that no region has more than double of the average global safety record,” he notes. Benjamin identifies several areas where ICAO, its Member
State authorities and industry partners can work together to reach that objective. “Safety is not a monopoly. It is everyone’s business – airlines,
airports, governments. Clearly we must focus on building a stronger global and regional safety strategy based on national safety programmes and widespread adoption of safety management systems,” he enthuses. “I believe we can reduce the rate of accidents if we have
better information. So another important step is sharing data more transparently. For example, ICAO, IATA, the FAA and the EU will sign an agreement during the next Assembly to create a platform for disseminating data to all interested parties, including airports.” There are many practical steps to meet that goal as well.
Benjamin points to recommendations identified at the ICAO Safety Conference held in March 2010: improved monitoring and oversight systems; tracking implementation of safety management systems; auditing results; updating best practice materials; and adding a new annex on safety management to the Chicago Convention. “Again, I emphasise we must strengthen the role of the
regions in safety oversight, ensuring adequate resources and expertise for the task. Enhanced training and best practice sharing throughout the aviation community will help staff to do an ever better job,” he says. On security, Benjamin is quite knowledgeable, having
been active in this branch for many years. “In the 1990s, ICAO wisdom was that the security problem could be tackled and resolved and simply that did not happen,” admits Benjamin. “Terrorists are constantly changing the way they target aviation, drawing media attention by attacking a sector that is supposed to be safe and very modern. Even when a terrorist effort fails, as in December’s Northwest Airlines incident, it still puts airports on red alert for weeks.”
The secretary general points out that our current security
systems are technologically oriented, and here again we must rely more on collecting and sharing of data, such as the analysis of behaviour at airports. “And we need better dialogue and mutual understanding worldwide,” says Benjamin. “That is why these past months, ICAO participated in a series of conferences across the world – Mexico City, Tokyo, Abuja and Abu Dhabi – to build a similar language and agreement on how to counter this threat. The meetings included segments dedicated to industry. “What we have learned about regional approaches and
experiences is helping us to formulate a declaration for adoption by the ICAO Assembly in October. “The measures in Annex 17 of the Chicago Convention apply for
all, but the way nations implement those measures may differ, for example at a small or large airport. Also, in certain nations and in the EU, there are regulations to apply. Law is law, and it must be carried out, but even there, differences exist. It is a complex field. “And taking the consumer perspective, even when the threat
level is high, we must not forget that billions of passengers are not terrorists. The passenger wants consistency and continuity in security measures, not just in screening, but in the way they are subjected to security. That is why ICAO wants a global system, one that is commensurate with the threat.” Cargo is another area where Benjamin will be keeping a close
watch over what is needed. “In aviation security, for example, we have made great progress in distinguishing between the ‘good’ and the ‘bad’ passenger, but not so in cargo. Given the globalisation of the cargo markets and the sheer quantities being moved, this will be a big challenge,” he muses. “The integration of developing nations into the global
markets, and their reliance on air cargo for realising their growth potential, makes this an important undertaking. The airspace closures in April due to volcanic ash demonstrated the immediate economic consequences when these markets are unable to dispatch goods.” Sustainable aviation is ICAO’s third objective and, for many, this goal is synonymous with environmental action.
AIRPORT WORLD/AUGUST-SEPTEMBER 2010 47
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