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| ICAO headquarters. Photo: Doug (flickr) |
[Avionics Today 10-29-2014] The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) has released a statement condemning the downing of Malaysia Airlines Flight MH17 over eastern Ukraine earlier this year. The 36 State Council of the ICAO, along with Minister of Transport for Malaysia Dato’ Sri Liow Tiong Lai and a high-level delegation from Ukraine, unanimously adopted the resolution with Lai outlining a series of statements and recommendations on both MH370 and MH17, all of which were aimed at enhancing related measures supporting greater safety and security in international civil aviation.
The council also reviewed the report of the task force established under ICAO to explore risks to civil aviation arising from conflict zones. The report proposed that the existing framework for managing international civil aviation remains fit for purpose, that states should continue to be responsible to ensure the safety of operations in their sovereign and delegated airspace, and that airspace users have the ultimate responsibility to decide where they fly.
The council has approved the proposed conflict zone work program for ICAO through 2015, some aspects of which have already been advanced. Further aspects of this planning will require additional consideration at ICAO’s upcoming high-level safety conference next February, according the statement released by ICAO.